The Big Hit
by Arashi no Ko
Summary: Arthur and Antonio are partners in crime. They fool rich men and steal their money. But what happens when they are faced with a problem. A blond french problem by the name of Francis Bonnefoy. Can Arthur fool him? And can he trust Antonio?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey~ I'm really nervous cos this is my first fanfic. Don't expect much. ^^ There may be some grammar mistakes and the story is kinda crappy but please bear with me . **

**There will be no actual pairings (maybe some hints) but if you guys somehow like the story and I get enough requests I may add some shounen ai in future chapters ^^ Anyway I'm not sure whether I'll continue this so if you want me to please review ! I'm a rookie so any kind of advice is ****welcome and appreciate****d! **

**(pls ignore the lame title I couldn't think of anything better)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**** (Though I really wish to :D )**

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><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter 1_

The man was getting impatient when he finally heard a knock on his door.

"It was about time" he said but when he opened the door he didn't see what he expected.

"Hi~ Sorry for being late~ " A young short man with slightly messy sandy blond hair and emerald green eyes walked inside and seated himself on a glass table in the middle of the room. His clothes were quite 'revealing' – a pair of jean shorts that exposed his thin legs, an almost transparent shirt unbuttoned to the middle, short brown high-heeled boots and a brown jacket that hung loosely beneath his shoulders.

"Hah, I'm sorry but there seems to be a mistake here" the older man said when he finally snapped out of his surprise. "I'm quite sure I asked for a woman not a boy" he continued with a mocking smile.

"Oh, dear!" the boy dramatized. "Are you saying that I'm not good enough to satisfy master's needs?" As he said that the stranger lifted his leg on the table and threw a seductive look at the man in front of him. A lustful flash suddenly appeared in the said man's eyes and he took a step forward.

"Well, I guess I can make an exception this time and…" He wrapped his hand around the boy's waist, inspecting him closer. "try something new." he finished in a low voice. A playful smirk appeared on the boy's lips and he waited obediently as his 'master' leaned closer. But suddenly the stranger flinched and put a finger on the man's mouth stopping his advance.

"What?" the older asked slightly annoyed by the interruption.

"Have you been smoking?"

"Yes. What about it?"

" Darling there's one thing that I really hate and that's the smell of cigarettes."

A disbelieving look and an impatient snort was all he got in response.

"You see, I like my men fresh" the boy then explained with a low seductive voice almost purring the last word and took a mouth freshener out of his pocket. The man smiled obviously satisfied by the explanation and expectantly opened his mouth. One spray was more than enough…

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><p>"Just a little harder! Come on! Harder! "Cold sweat was starting to form on the boy's forehead.<p>

"Almost there!" He shouted again. "Argh! Bloody safe! " The boy finally gave up, clenching his teeth with frustration. The older man was now lying near the glass table deeply asleep and he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. After all this time the drug was much stronger than usual. The frustrated blond was still kneeling on the floor trying to think of a way to get inside the steel box that contained his goal when his cell phone suddenly rang in his pocket. He took it out in one swift move and flipped it open with more strength than necessary.

"What?" He spat at the receiver.

"Erm…are you busy?" The voice on the other side asked with a heavy Spanish accent.

"What? What do you mea-…Oh goodness NO! Of course not! How could you even think that? "

"Well you've been gone for so long that I thought maybe it didn't work this time you know. Accidents happen." The other answered obviously relieved, the unsure tone in his voice gone.

"Pffft! As if I'd screw up on such an easy job. "

"Well what's wrong then?"

"The bastard's sleeping like the dead but the damned safe just won't open!" As he said that the blond threw a murderous look at the 'damned' thing as if trying to open it with a glare.

"That sucks but you know that if you don't open it soon it would be better if you took what you can and got out of there."

"Do you think I'm stupid or something? I've already done that! Plus you're not my mother I know how to take care of myself perfectly you git! Now if you'll excuse me I have work to do!" The blond hung up on his friend rather rudely and continued working on the safe.

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><p>The Spaniard sighed. He put his phone back in his pocket and once again turned his gaze towards the window on the second floor. He was observing it from inside his van parked right in front of the house where his partner in crime was currently 'working'. Antonio (the said Spaniard's name) thought about how Arthur (the blond with whom he had just had a conversation) always had a reply for everything and never took advice from anyone and even if he did he never listened to it. A small smile made its way on Antonio's lips. He had already gotten used to his partner's behavior and sudden mood swings during the long time they worked together. And by work I mean seducing rich men and stealing their money. Actually that was Arthur's job. Antonio only found their victims and took care of the escape but they always divided the money equally. The Spaniard's thoughts drifted to the day they first met. It was around New Year's Eve about three years ago. There was a party and some of the present there had gotten a little bit too drunk. What followed were a few stupid incidents and the arrest of all of the people (except those who managed to run away of course). After those events Antonio met Arthur for the first time in a small prison cell at the police station and they found out that they had a lot in common. They were both young broke and looking for a thrill that the discos and night clubs couldn't provide them with anymore. And there in that same cell the two boys became friends and even more – they became partners in crime and as soon as they got out of jail they started business. What they did provided them with both money and the longed excitement. At firs their targets were simple. They already had a plan for their first mission – Arthur would meet the man in a club, use his charm on him and then the man would invite Arthur to his house and (hopefully) offer him a drink. But the man's drink would have a strong drug in it and on the next morning he would wake up with headache, a blank memory and a few thousand dollars less. Looking back at the past Antonio thought about how crazy they were. But despite all the risk and their inexperience everything had gone perfectly smooth. It was easy money and easy money is addicting so after a few more successful tries there was no turning back. Arthur started to gain more experience and their bank accounts grew steadily. But the better they got the more serious their targets became or to be more exact – the richer. And that's how they had gotten to their current situation. Suddenly Antonio was snatched out of his thoughts by a small figure climbing out of the second floor window. The man jumped down on the ground elegantly and landed quietly on his feet almost like a cat which showed the amount of experience he had in this kind of things. The man approached the van and sat in the seat next to Antonio his satisfied smirk clearly visible in the dim light. That smirk answered all of Antonio's questions – the mission had been successful and they were officially a hundred thousand dollars richer so he started the engine and the van silently disappeared into the night.<p>

"Hah! What a sucker!" Arthur finally broke the silence his smirk still present on his face. "We robbed him dry and he won't realize until tomorrow morning."

"And by then we'll be in London wasting his money." Antonio finished with an innocent smile although his smile contrasted a lot with what he was saying.

Arthur nodded in agreement. "Can you believe that I've been seducing rich fools for three years and I haven't even once been done by a man."

Antonio stayed silent for a while.

"Wait so…you're straight?" He finally said.

Arthur made a WTF face and yelled "Of course I'm straight you bloody git! What did you think I was?"

"Well at first I thought the answer was pretty obvious…"

"You thought I was gay."Arthur interrupted.

Antonio went silent again. He could feel his partner's murderous glare and a sweat drop formed on his forehead.

"Well how couldn't I?" The Spaniard defended himself and changed the subject before Arthur could strangle him (which he apparently was about to do). "Anyway how do you feel about going home?"

Arthur who was indeed from England quickly forgot his anger (luckily for Antonio) and leaned back in his seat.

"Well I should be excited. I mean I haven't been in England for two years. But the thing is…I'm not. I just don't really have a reason to be happy about it." The blond said thoughtfully.

"Awwww don't say that!" Antonio exclaimed, his usual smile making its way back onto his lips. "It's your homeland and it's the place where we became partners. Plus I'm sure that you want to say hi to your family and friends after all this time."

Arthur turned to face his friend and stared into his olive green eyes for a few moments before replying, a hint of pain showing in his voice. "I don't really have a lot of friends there. And I've never been in good terms with my family…"

Antonio's smile disappeared and a feeling of guilt started creeping up in his stomach. He had obviously triggered a very delicate conversation that wasn't much to Arthur's liking. Although he had known Arthur for three years now he barely knew anything about his partner's past from before they met. Antonio felt like an idiot. Arthur saw his friend's change in expression and smiled a little.

"It's okay. It's my fault for not telling you earlier. It's not that dramatic really. I just didn't get along with my three older brothers and my parents…well we barely saw each other and when we did we rarely talked." Without realizing Arthur started telling Antonio his life story. Not that his friend minded.

"My family is quite rich so I grew up in the care of maids and babysitters. My parents were like strangers to me and my brothers terrorized me constantly." Arthur continued. "When I finished high school I went to London and started living on my own. I liked it that way because I was away from my brothers. My parents sent me a lot of money so I started to skip lectures and went to discos and parties instead. I met a lot of girls and had a lot of fun but soon I got bored and the money I had started to disappear as my parents stopped sending me any. Well it was me who told them to stop though. I just didn't want to be a bother to them. In fact I didn't want to have anything to do with them…I haven't talked to them since then. Not that it's much different than before." Arthur chuckled weakly at the last sentence. It was a sad distant laugh. Antonio didn't say anything and kept his eyes on the road. He seemed to be thinking about something as he wasn't smiling like he usually did.

"Well I guess I'll get some sleep then." Arthur yawned after inspecting his friend for a few moments. "Good night Toni." The blond said and moved to the back of the van.

"Good night Artie." Antonio replied quietly and silence took over once again.

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><p><strong>AN: So that was the first chapter. I hope it's not that bad. (It sounded much better in my head honestly)**

**PLS tell me what u think by reviewing~**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hiiii~ first I want to thank everyone that reviewed. ^w^ I really appreciate it~**

**Here's the next chapter. At first I planned to make it longer but I'm kinda busy and I didn't want to make you guys wait so pretty much nothing serious happens in this chap. ^^**

**Btw this time I tried to improve my describing skills since that's my weak point. Pls tell me if there's any improvement from the previous chapter :D.**

**(once again pls ignore the lame title -.-') **

**The Big Hit**

_Chapter 2_

London was as busy as ever. In fact London never changed. The grey clouds that hung above the grey buildings and the equally grey streets created a depressing image. But the city also had its crows of noisy people, traffic, shops, offices, bars and whatever all other busy cities have and it was those things that made London more colorful and welcoming than it seemed at first glance.

Among the crowds that we mentioned before the blond young man carrying a bag of groceries didn't stand out at all (well except for his oversized eyebrows). The only strange thing about him was that he always turned into a side street or simply disappeared whenever a police car passed by. That of course went unnoticed by the people around him. He wasn't really chased or anything but that had sort of become a habit of his – a pretty necessary habit.

Antonio heard his stomach growl. Arthur couldn't have gotten lost in London of all places. Was he doing it on purpose? He always said he was a 'gentleman' or something but he could be very immature sometimes. And Antonio always ended suffering because of these sometimes. The Spaniard sighed and his attention returned to the laptop in front of him. He immediately forgot about his empty stomach and the feeling of hunger was replaced with worry. He couldn't help but worry or to be more exact the man in the picture worried him. He had found his man while searching for their next target. At first everything seemed fine but after a more thorough investigation Antonio started to have doubts that it was safe to approach him. The man's past was blurry and his business unknown in other words not clean and legal enough to be known.

"Hey I'm back." Arthur announced and closed the door to their current headquarters which was a small rented room in the busiest part of London. They didn't need much – only a place to eat and sleep until they decided on their next destination. They didn't stay in one place for long- it was risky. The last thing they needed was to be recognized.

"It was about time." Antonio answered without bothering to ask why Arthur was so late. Food was more important right now.

He went to the small wooden table near the window and sat down watching as his friend took out their lunch.

"You don't plan to 'cook' anything right?" Toni asked cautiously. There was one thing that he would never eat no matter how hungry he was and that was Arthurs cooking (If you could call it cooking).

"No. There is no kitchen after all." Arthur replied without getting the hint.

Antonio thanked god that they didn't have a kitchen. Well on the bright side even if they had it wouldn't last for long with Arthur around.

They ate in silence. Actually Antonio had a lot to say but seeing Arthur completely lost in looking at the city through the window he decided not to interrupt him. Arthur had a lot of memories from London and judging by the absence of his typical scowl he was probably recalling some of the good ones now. He probably visited some places before and that's why he was late. But Antonio didn't dare ask him since last time he had brought up some pretty unpleasant topics.

After they finished their meal Antonio returned to the laptop while Arthur cleaned the remains of their food from the table. Toni wasn't sure whether he should tell Arthur about his discovery but decided that it would be better if he did and threw his partner an inviting look. Arthur took his still steaming cup of Earl Gray and leaned on his friend's shoulders.

"So you found something?" He asked as his eyes fell on the picture on screen. The man in the picture had deep ocean blue eyes and perfect pale skin. His features were soft and somehow majestic. He also had some stubble which made him look more mature. His face decorated with a calm smile, was framed by silky shoulder length blond hair that was slightly curly and nothing like Arthur's mop. The man (although Arthur would never admit it out loud) was quite handsome, even very handsome. 'Heh. He could provide a challenge. The prettier they are more capricious they turn out to be.' Arthur thought and smirked inwardly. He loved challenges. Then his gaze turned to the column of information next to the picture. Antonio always presented their next targets this way. How he got that information Arthur never asked. He didn't care – Antonio had his job and his ways and whether they were legal or not was none of Arthur's business. The truth was that Antonio had a lot of 'friends' and those 'friends' gave him access to some sources that under normal circumstances were off limits to people like him.

Name: Francis Bonnefoy

Arthur scowled as he read that. 'A frog huh…' He thought.

Nationality: French

'I figured as much'

Birthplace; Interests; Siblings; Address blah blah blah (those things didn't really matter so Arthur tactically skipped them. )

Income source: Unknown

Arthur smirked again at that. When that was unknown it usually meant that it was illegal. And if the money they stole was illegal the chance of getting the police's attention was smaller. After all how would Francis explain himself to the cops if he called them?

Monthly Income: ******** **(A/N: I have no idea what to write but all I can say is that it's a lot :D ) **

Arthur's jaw literally dropped. He stared at the laptop and almost spilled his tea. Were his eyes deceiving him or was the frog dirty rich? Then his expression slowly changed from amazement to speechlessness and from that to pure happiness. Heck if this mission was successful their goal would be complete!

You see Arthur and Antonio had a certain sum in mind that as they had calculated would provide them with a wealthy life. They had also calculated that to get that sum they would have to do a certain number of robberies. But as things were now one visit to Francis's house and they were all set!

Antonio watched his friend with anxiety.

"Listen Arty I know what you're thinking but let me say that I have a really bad feeling about this guy."

Arthur finally snapped back to reality and turned his attention to his friend.

"Yeah right!" He snorted. "If we always listened to your bloody bad feeling we wouldn't have gotten so far!"

"I know but this time I have a good reason for my 'bloody' bad feeling." The Spaniard pouted and turned back to his computer. He started typing something and an old newspaper article appeared on the screen. The title was _Robbers Caught In The Act. _There was a picture of a man and a woman with handcuffs and also the picture of Francis at the bottom.

"See! This guy has already caught people like us. He's smart and cautious, and trust me if he's that rich he knows how to keep his money."

"Yeah and I know how to steal it." Arthur answered stubbornly. "Don't you see? This frenchie is so loaded that he won't even notice we've robbed him! Plus it's me who does the dangerous part. All you have to do is sit on your ass and wait for the money to come to you."

Antonio felt a little offended by the last sentence but he had to admit that most of it was true. If Francis saw through Arthur's act Arthur would surely be in trouble while he had enough time to run away even if his partner ratted him out.

"I still think we should go by our schedule and find some easier targets. It's for your own safety as well." Antonio muttered a little guilty.

"Yeah right. I don't plan to waste my precious time when the money's right under my nose. So deal with it. Next target: Francis Bonnefard!"

"Bonnefoy." Antonio corrected.

"Whatever! All frogs are the same."

Arthur walked away with a satisfied expression. He was probably thinking what he would do with Francis's money. Antonio sighed desperately. Arthur always lost about half of his common sense when lots of money was involved. And there was absolutely no way of convincing him he was wrong since he thought that that was impossible. The Spaniard once again looked at the screen where Francis's face was still calmly and slyly smiling at him as if he could read thoughts. That guy was definitely not the same as their previous targets. He was dangerous and Antonio just knew that something would go wrong.

**A/N: So that's it. I know it's boring and I'm really struggling to write longer chapters .but I promise that next time will be better. After all Francis will make his debut in the next chapter (and how can that possibly be boring Ohonhonhonhon~ :D )**

**Pls review and thanks to those who already have.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Konnichiwa mina-san~!**

**First off I want to thank ALL of you who reviewed! I REALLY REALLY appreciate it (no seriously I smile like an idiot whenever I get a new review ^w^ )**

**Sooooo originally this should have been twice as long but I decided to divide it into two parts :D so chapter 4 will be out pretty soon (maybe even today if I feel like it :D)**

**Btw I'm really sorry for taking so long to update but I was bombarded with tests at school and I guess you know how it feels :3 I'll compensate with uploading ch4 sooner. Oh yeah! I was also late coz I've started a new story! If you want you can check it out. :3**

**And one last thing: For all of you who want this to be yaoi - I'm not going to write anything like that in the original story (at least not hardcore) BUT! In the end I'm planning to add an extra chapter with some spuk…and another BUT: since fans are on top if you really want there to be yaoi in the original story pls review. If I get enough reviews (which isn't much since I love you guys just too much) I'll change my mind :]**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia (It's not so hard to guess :D) blah blah blah etc.….**

**Now off we go! 8D**

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><p>The library had a wonderful collection of books but right now the space between them and the shelf interested Arthur more than the books themselves. It was because of the tall blond man whose back was visible through that space that Arthur completely ignored the splendid pieces of literature in front of him. Francis on the other hand was ignorant about the pair of green eyes that didn't leave him even for a second. That was Arthur's advantage. He was supposed to make his appearance at the right moment in order to make the right first impression. His business was a lot trickier than it looked, especially when someone like Francis was involved. Arthur revised his plan for the last time and waited just a little bit longer.<p>

Francis Bonnefoy was a man who appreciated the beautiful things in life. That included books as well. He was indeed quite picky and he never spared time in the library. This was one of the few and maybe the only place where he felt free and even 'clean'. A place where he forgot who he was and what he did. Not that he regretted what he did. However it was nice to feel ordinary once in a while. The truth was that Francis always played a role in front of others. He never took his masks off and he loved it – playing with others until he got bored again or simply because there was a benefit, other than amusement, that is. That's why there were many who trusted him but none that he trusted. And that had never bothered him...Though it was tiring. Dealing with those idiots he called partners, seeing their fake polite smile all the time while wearing the same one himself. He needed a rest and that's when he resorted to beautiful things, or at least things that were beautiful in his opinion - as we said before Francis was very picky. Those things were various. Women are one example. And they were so easy to get. One of his dashing smiles was enough to get them head over heels for Francis. It was a pity that all of them woke up alone on the next morning after Francis had had his 'rest'. There were also some that instead of his charm saw only his money. But that simply made Mr. Bonnefoy's routine a little bit more interesting.

He was currently reading a book that he found much to his liking and as usually he was so lost in his reading mater that all around him disappeared. He was too lost in it to notice the young blond man that walked past him and started inspecting the shelves a few steps away. He also didn't noticethat the man was actually inspecting him more than necessary by throwing quick glances at his direction. Those things Francis usually paid a lot of attention to since they meant a lot in the world he lived, but not this time. Arthur had chosen the moment and place perfectly. Once he was sure his victim was in position he needed to find the other things necessary for his advance. Arthur's eyes darted from one book to another not leaving the higher shelves. He knew very well what he was looking for thanks to the thorough report of Francis's preferences that Antonio had provided him with (once again god knows where from). The blond finally settled on a favorable choice. It was time to act but he hesitated for a moment. Antonio's words echoed in his head, reminding him how he often rushed things and thus made mistakes in the past that sometimes almost turned fatal. All those thoughts flashed thorough Arthur's mind for a few seconds and he decided that failure was unforgivable so he therefore had to spare a few seconds more to avoid it. Luckily Francis's book had him securely occupied for the moment. Arthur inhaled deeply to regain his composure after the brief moment of panic, went through the plan once again and suddenly but firmly made the deciding move…

Francis was abruptly pulled out of his pleasant trance as he felt someone bump into him all of a sudden. Someone that he hadn't noticed all this time(he made a mental note not to space out for so long anymore). Before the Frenchman could take a good look at the stranger, the rather short blond rose his head to look straight into Francis's blue eyes (something that people rarely did) and obviously very embarrassed started stating his excuses.

"Oh my god! I am so terribly sorry! That was so rude of me! I was just trying to reach my book and…" the man stopped and seemed to partly regain his composure. "You aren't hurt are you?..." He finished murmuring and once again pointed his gaze right into the Frenchman's eyes waiting for a response. Francis felt like those eyes that he finally noticed were a beautiful shade of emerald, were piercing him as if expecting him to do something. He was truly captivated by them. He almost fell for their trap but it was Francis after all and instead he threw his confusing thoughts aside and at last took the chance to take a good look at his disturber. Well Francis was glad he did. The blond in front of him was truly worth looking at. He was small and slim and looked even smaller with his shoulders tensed up. His face was an even more pleasant sight. Smooth pale skin, small nose, slightly sharp jaw. His hair was quite messy in a rather attractive way and sandy blond locks fell over astonishing large emerald eyes. The man's or rather the boy's thick darker eyebrows caught Francis's attention but after looking more carefully he found that they only added more charm and variety to their owner's face. He also had a thick Australian accent. Francis was quick in his inspections of people and got to all of these conclusions in a matter of seconds, without missing any detail. However because of his observation skills he managed to notice that the blond's rather obvious feelings weren't as sincere as they seemed – embarrassment, guilt and even his accent, there was a fake tone to all of them. So he had to stay on guard after all…

Now it was Francis's turn to make a move. He chose his mask carefully and flashed one of his most charming smiles that he knew would melt even the best opponent. It was a sure kill attack and Arthur wasn't left unaffected by it. He flinched pulled back a little.

"No problem mon ami. I am perfectly fine."

In moments like these Arthur almost admitted that Antonio was right but with Arthur pride was always before truth. He inwardly cursed for he was for the first time faced with an opponent that was on his level and even maybe way above. He just couldn't read Francis at all. But the worst is that he felt like the Frenchman could see through him like glass. No matter. He wasn't going to admit defeat just because of that. This was a psychological game.

"Thank goodness! I'm just so clumsy. But those shelves are quite an obstacle for someone of my height." He smiled and scratched the back of his head.

Francis eyed the Brit with slight confusion and smiled again as he finally understood what the stranger meant. 'Very well, I'll stick with you for a while.' He thought.

"So you were trying to get a book I presume. Well then, please let me help you with that."

"Oh that'll be a great help! You're so kind. So if you don't mind could you please get me the third one on the highest shelf?"

"It would be my pleasure." Francis said and reached for the book. Once it was in his hands he noticed the title._**' **__**The Count of Monte Cristo**__**'**_ by Alexandre Dumas – Francis's favorite author and one of his most preferred books. This stranger had an excellent choice in books if one had to judge by only that.

Arthur noticed the Frenchman's interest and thought 'Bull's eye. Antonio you really are the best.'

"Say Mr…"

"Liam. Liam Carter." Arthur said and offered his hand. Francis shook it eagerly. Arthur almost gasped as he looked at the Frenchman again. The way the light fell on the man made him look even more handsome and the smile he was giving Arthur shone even brighter and added to his beauty. It's not like Arthur was attracted to Francis but he felt a little plain compared to this man. And that was rare considering that Arthur had a very high opinion of himself. Luckily his trail of unpleasant thoughts was stopped as Francis spoke again.

"Well Mr. Carter…"

"You can call me Liam" Arthur interrupted taking the book from Francis's hand. The Frenchman's smile grew and Arthur could have sworn that he was sparkling with joy. Maybe the whole he-knows-what-i'm-doing thing was just Arthur's imagination…

"OK then, Liam. My name is Francis Dupont." 'Yeah right.' Arthur thought 'And I was born yesterday. Old trick frog – I'm using it and I'm definitely not buying it.' The Brit managed not to show his thoughts. He felt relieved seeing as his innate dislike for the frog was back again. "I think that our meeting today was fate as there aren't many that have such a fine taste in literature nowadays." Francis finished and pointed at the book that was now in Arthur's hands.

'Liam' chuckled.

"I guess it is then."

"So mon ami, tell me are you from around here or just staying for a while?"

"Actually I'm from Australia. But I'm looking for a job in London (and I've actually found one pretty promising inner thoughts) and I think I'm going to stay here for longer."

"It would be a pity if it were otherwise mon cher but if that's the case I would be very happy if you spared some of your precious time to…let's say go out with me for a cup of coffee sometime?"

"I would love to. Plus I do owe you for what happened before… though I think I prefer tea."

Arthur may be an actor but he was still true to his British nature. And there was no way he would even taste that horrible liquid known as coffee.

"Tea it is then." Francis smiled and thought how cute the blond was. The rest went smoothly. They exchanged numbers and Francis left after taking a few books.

Arthur just stood there. Slowly a smile crept onto his lips. Job well done.

"Liam my boy you are one skilled fucker" Arthur half whispered. Unfortunately it was a sarcastic joke and in the end it was Arthur's and not 'Liam's' ego that went over the top. The Brit actually wondered why he was so satisfied with his success since it wasn't his first one for sure. It was probably because he had managed to prove Antonio wrong…Oh shit! Why did it always come down to Antonio! Arthur huffed. There was one thing that he hated more than admitting defeat…and it was admitting that he held some sort of affection towards someone. He once again pointed his thoughts in another direction as he didn't like where they were going. He instead turned his attention to the bookshelves beside him. A quiet afternoon with a good book as an award for today's success – that sounded fair enough. Sure Antonio was waiting for him but what the hell! The guy was used to waiting. He didn't do much anyway (at least in Arthur's opinion). Arthur started scanning the shelves without even bothering to call or text his Spanish friend when suddenly his eyes fell on something that cleared all doubts that he wasn't lucky today. "_**The**__** Three Musketeers" **_– a book that Arthur had read at least four times but never lost its charm. Arthur had an innate hatred for everything French, but being the book connoisseur he was he just couldn't deny that French authors were brilliant. Especially Alexandre Dumas. Arthur took the book out carefully as if trying not to damage the piece of art with his touch. He walked to the tables at the other corner of the library and was delighted to see that they were empty probably because it was a very nice day outside and most people preferred the outdoors. That was due to the fact that England wasn't the sunniest of countries and days like this were a rare sight. But Arthur didn't mind. Solitude provided him with the quiet and peace he craved for. His 'job' included interaction with many not so pleasant people (like Francis) and Arthur (pretty much like Francis) needed a break from it. There was another reason for his preference of solitude. He had grown up without love and care and was unfortunate to have the unwanted attention of his brothers. Those years had taught him that being alone was the safest and thherefore better than being with others. His only friends at that time were the books. Well he also had friends at school but his brothers always ended scaring them away. Arthur remembered how he hid in his room often upset or even beat up to tears and found comfort not in the face of his parents but in the pages of the books. Arthur came to love all of them since he was ready to drift to any world except his own. The blond shook those depressing memories aside and concentrated on his book. He wasn't going to let his past ruin his day. But suddenly as he threw a last glance around the library he went pale. Paler than the pages he had been reading…

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><p><strong>AN: Ha! You didn't expect that last one did ya xD**

**I'll take this chance (and more of your time ^^ srry bout that) to say that some characters like America and Prussia will also appear in later chapters. Well most of them won't have any major roles but the awesome Gilbert will! Anyway there'll be more characters in the sequel of this story that I'm planning if this one turns out well :] **

**So no more annoying me X3 Pls rewiew ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Chapter 4 everyone! Come and get it while it's hot :D (don't mind me I'm just in a really weird mood right now ^^)**

**This time I won't bother you with boooring long A/Ns**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia (do I have to write this in every single chapter? ) **

**(btw has anyone noticed that I forgot to write the title in the second chapter :D…..never mind I'll shut up now…)**

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><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter 4 _

Arthur froze as all of his worst memories flowed back and took form right in front of his eyes as if mocking him. The source of his shock was the tall man with flaming red hair who was currently flirting with the library girl a dangerous distance away. That confident posture, the movements of his hands, the thick Scottish accent that filled Arthur with a mixture of feelings such as hate, fear and respect – all those things were sealed in Arthur's memories so very clearly. There was no mistaking it even though Arthur wished there was.

"Scott…" the terrified blond whispered barely audible. Luckily the red-haired man hadn't noticed him… But for how long?…

Arthur decided not to push his luck and stood up without making a sound, eyes never leaving the threat that still had its back towards him. He found even standing up hard, as his legs weren't listening to him. There was a good reason for his panic and right now he needed to get away from it. So far so good. Scott was still chatting with the librarian, who seemed very delighted with their conversation since she often giggled and blushed which gave her entertainer even more confidence. Second seemed like ages but Arthur finally sneaked out of his enemy's range of vision. However he was still far from safe. The exit was nowhere near and the chance of being spotted was high. The first thing he had to do was return the book to its previous place. The last thing he wanted was to be caught stealing from a library(although it looked more appealing than being caught by that man) but even that proved to be difficult. In his hurry Arthur managed to knock down a few books.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

'Oh shit…'

The blond bent down and frantically started to pick up the fallen items. That was a mistake. He didn't hear the approaching footsteps and it was already too late when he saw the shadow over him.

"Ye OK there lad?"

Arthur gasped at the familiar voice and dropped the books he had been holding. The blond turned around instantly (although he knew what he was going to see and didn't really want to). He felt the wooden shelves press against his back, reminding him that there was no escape.

The two men stared at each other for a few seconds. Then slowly Scott's expression turned into an amused smirk while Arthur's remained that of horror. Scott broke the silence first.

"Well, well, well…What do we have here? If it isn't ma dear wee brother Arthur. " The way the last word was said sent shivers down Arthur's spine. Scott was more than pleased with the reaction he got.

"How long has it been Artie? Two, three years maybe? We were worried sick since ye just disappeared without saying anything." His words were dripping with sarcasm and pretended worry.

'Lies' Arthur thought but decided not to dig his grave and remained silent, without turning his eyes from his brother's. Even if they were filled with nothing but mockery and amusement.

"I doubt you're here to see us though." Scott continued. "I guess it was luck that brought us together today."  
>'Yes luck indeed…very bad luck' Arthur was snatched out of his thoughts as his older brother grabbed him by the arm and lifted him up from the ground where he previously sat. Arthur stiffened from the rather rough touch but instinctively obeyed his brother, too afraid of making him angry. Scott swung an arm around the smaller blond's shoulder and gave him a cheerful smile. If Arthur didn't know Scott so well he would have thought that it was real.<p>

"So tell me dear brother what have ye been up to all this time and what brings ye here if it's not to see yer family?"

Oh god that man wasn't planning to let him off easy.

"I know!" the red-haired man exclaimed without giving his brother the chance to reply. "I should take ye to see our brothers! I'm sure they'll be more than happy to see ye."

Arthur's face went paler (if that's even possible). He looked at his brother and could have sworn that he saw the man's smirk become wider and even slightly sadistic.

"Then you can tell us about the time ye were away and we can have some fun like the good old times! What do you say?" Scott's face was masked with a friendly childish expression but to Arthur just hearing 'the good old times' made all of Scott's intentions clear. Seeing his brothers? – No way in hell! One was more than enough for Arthur.

"N-no way!" the blond finally gathered the courage to speak up and get away from the taller's firm grip. "I know what you're thinking Scott and it's not gonna happen. I know you too well to be fooled." With every word Arthur's voice raised with an octave.

Scott was a little taken aback by his brother's sudden outburst. However not long after that his eyes got a look that said 'oh how interesting – you're actually disobeying me'. Scott's new expression drained all of Arthur's courage in a matter of seconds. He had finally taken off his mask.

"Well someone's gotten pretty cocky while they were gone." The red hair said as he crossed his arms. Arthur felt like his feet couldn't support him any longer. The library girl from before threw them a worried look but decided that it was better not to get involved and hurried away.

"Tsk tsk tsk. That was a very bad mistake Artie…Your last one trust me."

Arthur felt the blood flow out of his limbs. Cold sweat was forming on his forehead as he took a step back. His instincts were now screaming for him to run away although he knew it was futile since his brother wouldn't have any problems in catching him. Scott was better than him…he had always been better…

"Excuse me …"

The voice brought the terrified blond back to reality.

"Is there anything wrong?"

As he recognized the voice Arthur was suddenly filled with immense relief. He jerked his head to the side only to be greeted by a familiar face. Arthur was grateful to god for there, only a few feet away stood none other than…

"Antonio…" Arthur said and without realizing it a barely visible smile crept onto his still deathly pale face. But there was something wrong. Antonio wasn't smiling. He was dead serious. Arthur's smile disappeared as quickly as it came. He had never seen his friend like that before. It was almost scary. Antonio himself wasn't looking at Arthur. All of his attention was pointed at the red-haired man in front of him. The Spaniard assumed that it was Arthur's oldest brother but right now he didn't really care. He had heard the two's conversation and was fully aware that whoever he was…that man was trouble. The brunette was glaring daggers at Scott who seemed fairly surprised but certainly not frightened. For him the boy didn't poses a threat but he sure had some guts. Antonio was standing his ground even though he was much shorter and skinnier than Scott. And he wasn't showing any signs of retreating. Arthur's fear was replaced by worry. He couldn't let a fight break between those two. It would be a disaster. Well he wasn't worried about Scott. That man would surely overpower Antonio. And that's what Arthur was afraid of. He wasn't going to let his friend get hurt because of him. He opened his mouth in attempt to say something to prevent the catastrophe but was suddenly cut off by his brother's laughter.

"Dear god Arthur. I never thought ye actually had any friends."

Antonio's expression fluttered and for a moment he seemed surprised by the audacious remark. He looked at Arthur and could not believe the change he saw. The Brit was glaring furiously at his brother with clenched fists and a dark expression. It was like he was a different person just like Antonio had been a few seconds ago. The assuring presence of Antonio had returned his confidence and his brother's remark made him remember and added to his hate for his older sibling. That hate was currently giving him the strength to do the unthinkable – stand up against his brother.

"And what the fuck do you mean by that? I've always had friends. You don't even know me and you dare say that you bastard?"

Scott was silent. It was as if he was contemplating whether his brother had gone mad. But he was calm. He didn't even flinch. After a while in tense silence he finally looked like he was going to make a move. Scot took a step forward. Antonio saw Arthur shiver and decided that it was once again time to interfere. He took a protective stance in front of his friend but Scott ignored him as if he was thin air. He walked past the Spaniard casually and stopped right next to Arthur, putting a hand on the blond's shoulder.

"Looks like I haven't scared all of them away." He whispered lowly so only Arthur could hear. Arthur felt his brother's breath and even though he couldn't see him he could tell that the man was smirking. After that everything happened very quickly. Scott turned around one last time to wave at Antonio and went out of the library, shutting the door with more force than necessary. His words echoed in Arthur's head. But why was he still thinking of Scott. Scott was gone now and he was safe. The Brit turned to his friend and that's when he finally felt at ease again. Antonio was smiling as cheerfully as ever. It was as if nothing had happened. Arthur smiled as well.

"You know you should start making a list of how many times I save your ass." Antonio said in a playful sing-song voice.

"Oh shut up!" Arthur retorted but there was no actual malice in his voice.

"Hey~ You're not even going to say thanks?~" Toni pouted.

"Why would I?" The truth was that Arthur was so grateful to Antonio that he wanted to run to him and hug him, but he still had his pride.

"But still thanks…"

"You're welcome partner."

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><p>Antonio and Arthur were out of the library and were walking to the van when suddenly Antonio spoke.<p>

"Hey I know I probably shouldn't be asking this but that was your brother right?"

Arthur was surprised by the question but nodded nevertheless. Antonio seemed to regain a bit of his seriousness as he spoke again.

"Why didn't you call me immediately? You're lucky I saw Francis get out of the library and decided to check on you. I swear I don't care if he's your brother or not I'm gonna beat him up the next time I see him!"

At hearing that Arthur seemed to sadden a bit.

" No you're wrong. They're my family and I should be able to deal with them…then why can't I?…." The last part was said very quietly as if it was not meant to be heard. Arthur's pain was more than obvious in his words and Antonio decided that that should be the end of their conversation.

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><p>Francis was staring at the red liquid in his glass. He was sitting in a comfortable armchair, enjoying a peaceful evening alone in his mansion with a glass of expensive wine. His thoughts were still wandering to the short blond he met earlier that day.<p>

"Well 'Liam '. Let's see how long you'll be able to keep that little act of yours…' Francis whispered and emptied the contents of his glass in one breath…

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><p><strong>AN: Yey! Scotland appears~**

**I really wanted him to have Scottish accent…but I have no idea how to write that ;_;**

**Pls review and lots of thanks to those who already have ^_^ **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Ch5 here, here and HERE! :D Well…not that anything major happens 8D**

**But this one was a lot of fun to write ^w^ Plus nowadays I get some help from my sister (thanks sis!) She helps me with my grammar and gave me a cool idea for this chapter :3**

**Once again THANK YOU all for your wonderful reviews! x3 I'm so sorry I can't use all of your ideas guys D: It's just impossible :DD**

**Anyways sorry for the lame A/N but the truth is I'm a little sick right now (in other words I feel like cr**) and my creativity does not feel much better than me :D**

**Disclaimer: Hetalia=not mine (still haven't figured out how to steal it from ****Himaruya****-sensei :D )**

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><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter 5**  
><strong>_

Antonio got out of the bathroom humming a happy tune. It had been a while since he had last had a nice normal shower in a nice normal bathroom. As he finished drying his hair he flung his towel around his neck. The Spaniard crossed the spacey living room illuminated brightly by the sunshine coming through the giant window that covered the whole wall. As he approached the glass wall Antonio found London at his feet. Miniature silhouettes of people heading to work in the warm morning were scattered around the busy streets that were as usual full of cars. It was truly a beautiful sun-filled day. The sun rays reflected from the windows made the dull buildings look like spectacular pillars of light. The sky above them was blue and decorated with white feathery clouds. Antonio engulfed the sight with thirsty eyes. He had gotten tired from the somber cloudy days that were pretty typical for the famous city of London and very contrasting to his cheerful nature. He was a man who appreciated the small things in life and a simple morning like this raised his mood to its maximum.

As you may have already noticed Antonio and Arthur had moved to a new apartment which according to Arthur's words they could afford now that he 'had Francis wrapped around his little finger'. Antonio, being the sensible one he didn't look like, didn't agree with that last part but switching the humble room they had rented for a fancy seventh floor apartment was just too tempting. Antonio leaned on the window, something most people wouldn't do since leaning on a glass wall on the seventh floor was just plain scary, and threw a proud satisfied look around their new place. From where he stood he had visibility to all of the other rooms.

The living room where he currently was had yellow walls and a white fluffy carpet. In the middle of the room there was a coffee table and a red couch. There were numerous bookshelves and a large plasma TV on the wall opposite the couch. The doorway to the kitchen was also in the same wall. The kitchen itself was only a bit smaller than the living room and had everything necessary for a professional kitchen. There was a wooden table in one end of the room surrounded by four wooden chairs. The walls were painted in light green and beige and on the whole room was illuminated by a large window that revealed the same stunning sight as from the living room. The bathroom and only bedroom were both accessible from the living room. The bedroom was the smallest room if we excluded the bathroom and contained a single bed, a dressing table with a mirror above it and a large wardrobe. The room itself was painted in light blue and also had a white carpet similar to the one in the living room. Although most of the furniture was wooden it was quite modern and arranged according to the latest fashion.

After he finished touring the place with his eyes Antonio noticed that he hadn't seen his English friend this morning. As he finally recalled where Arthur was most likely to be the Spaniard turned his attention towards the red couch and the large pile of sheets on it, which if one looked carefully enough would notice was slowly rising and falling in a steady rhythm. The Spaniard's theory was proved and he approached with a grin. Leaning forward he playfully poked the bundle in front of him. As an immediate reaction the sheets shuffled slightly or rather the Brit sleeping underneath them shuffled. Not long after that the movement, accompanied by muffled grunts, ceased and the steady breathing rhythm could be heard once again. Antonio grinned like a mischievous child. This was going to be so much fun.

"Rise and shine Artie!" the Spaniard said in a low sing-song voice, as he poked that spot of the sheets where he assumed Arthur's head was.

His actions were followed by another series of more visible movements and sleepy grunts.

"What was that? I didn't hear you." Antonio asked getting more and more amused by the second.

"Dn'tc'l me Aatie u bl'dy gif!" It took Antonio a while to translate the words in his mind and when he did he chuckled lightly.

"Not until you wake up sleepyhead~" He teased.

The Brit felt more poking, this time along his back. He fidgeted as if trying to sink deeper into the warm fabric of the couch, away from his tormentor. Arthur's stubbornness could make even someone like Antonio impatient and the brunette decided it was time to resort to more serious measures. He put both of his hands on the edge of the sheets and in one swift movement pulled them away revealing the curled up blond on the couch.

Arthur was taken by surprise as he felt the colder air hit his body. However he simply adjusted himself in a more comfortable position in order to mock Antonio for his futile attempt to awake him.

The Spaniard pouted at that display. As if he could sense that, Arthur smirked expecting a sign of defeat from his friend. But Antonio wasn't going to give up just yet. He still had some tricks up his sleeve. The brunette bent down so his mouth was near Arthur's ear, earning a surprised shiver from the blond who was still pretending to be asleep. Arthur heard Antonio take a deep breath and then…

"BUENOS DIAS MI AMIGO!"

"Gyaah!...Ooof!"

In the next few minutes the room was filled with Antonio's cheerful laughter and occasional muffled curses coming from Arthur who had actually fallen face first to the ground and was now nursing his painful nose.

Antonio wiped the tears in the corners of his eyes that had formed from laughing too hard.

"Sorry Artie. I just couldn't help myself." He said as he offered his hand to Arthur who was still on the ground.

Arthur shot his friend a death glare and ignored his offer to help.

"I swear if I wasn't so tired you would have been dead."

"Aww you wouldn't do that. You just say so coz you love me~"

Arthur flinched and in the next moment he was chasing a laughing Antonio around the coffee table throwing curses at the brunette that seemed impossible to catch. Then the fact that he had just woken up took effect on Arthur and he slumped into the couch earning a disappointed look from Antonio. This game was very amusing to the brunette.

"Whatever." the defeated Brit sighed. "So what's for breakfast?"

"Hm? Breakfast? What breakfast?" Antonio asked as he tilted his head, his smile never leaving his lips.

Arthur stared at him blankly.

"You wake me up in such an unacceptable way and there's not even breakfast." He said in a monotone voice as if stating obvious facts. "Not a very smart fellow are you?" Arthur said in a more irritated tone and rose from the couch popping his knuckles threateningly. Antonio grinned innocently.

"Why the foul mood Artie? You overslept or something?"

Arthur's eye twitched.

"No I didn't oversleep you bloody idiot. You didn't give me the chance to! Why don't you try sleeping on the bloody couch instead of in you cozy bed?"

"Hey it's not my fault you suck at rock-paper-scissors."

The truth was that the new apartment had one disadvantage – it had only one single bed. Since no one had been willing to share the two men had decided to settle the matter with a good old-fashioned game of rock-paper-scissors which had ended with Arthur losing rather pathetically by a score of 3-0.

"Tell you what. You go take a morning shower and I'll make breakfast in that time." Antonio suggested.

"Humph. I'll assume that you aren't hinting anything with that." Arthur snorted and headed towards the bathroom.

Antonio really deserved some kind of reward for being so patient with Arthur's bad temper and mood swings. The guy was behaving like an irritated teen that has just hit puberty. But Antonio was one of the few people who saw the good sides of Arthur. Not only that but he also knew the reason behind his friend's behavior which he had found out only recently without really wanting to. Arthur's childhood had been anything but easy and that had obviously taken its toll on him. Antonio understood that better than anybody else even though he himself had had a pretty calm past. He had always admired Arthur for being so strong and not letting his gloomy memories affect him any further. The Spaniard still remembered clearly how Arthur had stood up against Scott and even refused to ask for help even once. He also admired how the Brit was so persistent, thorough, determined and even passionate about everything he did – qualities that Antonio lacked since he was more of a happy-go-lucky person.

The brunette heard the quiet click of the bathroom door as it closed behind Arthur and sighed. He went to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast hoping to be ready before Arthur was done with his shower. He was afraid that the blond might offer his help which was the last thing needed in a kitchen. Arthur may be passionate and stuff but cooking was more than he could handle and actually became dangerous if it was left to him. Unfortunately Antonio had learned that from personal experience involving some near-death situations such as food poisoning and an angry insulted Englishman…

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><p>As Arthur got out of the bathroom and sensed the familiar scent of pancakes coming from the kitchen, he felt his stomach growl reminding him that he had yet to have breakfast. He dragged himself to the kitchen in a lazy manner. The warm water had made him even sleepier but had also washed away his anger at Antonio.<p>

Antonio greeted Arthur with a half-hearted wave. He was too busy with his laptop to even look at his friend. The Spaniard was after all the most serious when he was on his computer. That didn't bother Arthur who sluggishly sat at the table where a plate of pancakes was already expecting him and yawned.

"I didn't wait for you because you seemed to take too long. Hope you don't mind." Antonio said not removing his gaze from the screen.

Arthur grunted in reply and got up as he noticed there wasn't any tea on the table. Having breakfast without tea was simply unimaginable for a true Englishman such as himself. The next few minutes were spent in silence that was only disturbed by the quiet clicks of Antonio's mouse and Arthur sipping his tea occasionally. After he finished his breakfast Arthur finally began to feel annoyed by the awkward silence and spoke to his less bothered friend.

"By the way I'll need you to give me a lift on Friday."

"Why?" Antonio inquired sounding a bit interested.

"I have a date." Arthur exclaimed with a smirk, satisfied that he had gained his partner's attention.

Antonio finally took his eyes off his beloved laptop and let his curiosity get the best of him.

"With whom?"

Arthur crossed his legs with a smug expression. He made a long pause to tease his friend before answering.

"With Francis."

Antonio stared at him in surprise.

"So soon?"

"Yup. I called him yesterday evening when you were sleeping."

"Wasn't it a little bit late for phone calls?" Antonio raised a brow questioningly.

"No. It's you who goes to bed way too early. 10pm? Seriously Toni?" It was Arthur's turn to raise a brow.

"Hey it was 11pm back at my place."

"Oh yeah. I forgot that your internal clock is 'made in Spain'" Arthur rolled his eyes.

"The way you said it, that actually sounded rude." Toni pouted. "Anyways isn't it a little bit too early to see Francis again? I really think we should take things slow with him."

"I disagree. He may not look like it but the frog has a fairly impressive fandom and if I take things easy I might as well be forgotten considering my first impression wasn't a strong one."

Antonio nodded in agreement.

"So how many times do you plan to meet him before…you know…ending it?"

"Hmmm. I hope to wrap things up on Friday and arrange our last meeting then. The sooner the better if you really think he's so dangerous."

Antonio agreed once again. He didn't like rushing things but being involved with Francis was something he liked even less.

"But there's one thing that's been on my mind for a while." Arthur suddenly said. He got a questioning look from his friend and continued. "From what you've told me, the frog has guards at his place…"

"And?" Antonio encouraged Arthur as the blond made a hesitant pause.

"I was thinking…maybe this time we should secure ourselves in advance and get someone to take care of them while I do my thing. It'll be risky otherwise since we don't know how many of them are there."

"So you want to hire someone?...If you want I can-"

"No you'll have other things to do." Antonio was quickly cut off. "We need someone with more experience…"

Before Antonio could protest and say that he was more than capable of handling such a task Arthur stood up, suddenly having an idea.

"I know! Him! He's just the guy we need. I'll be back in a while."

That was all the Brit said before putting on his shoes and racing out of the front door, shutting it loudly behind him. Antonio froze with his mouth half-open to say something. He scratched the back of his head in confusion. Indeed all that was left for him was to wait for his friend to return and the while that Arthur mentioned turned out to be much more than just a few hours.

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><p>The Brit was out the whole day and when he finally returned it was 10pm and Antonio was laying on the couch lazily switching the channels on the plasma TV. As the Spaniard heard steps in the hallway he turned to greet his friend but his hand stopped in mid air as he saw an unfamiliar man standing behind Arthur.<p>

The man looked the same age as Arthur and Antonio and the most noticeable thing about him was that he was albino. His short platinum silver hair was a little messy but not as much as Arthur's and his eyes were an almost unnatural shade of red with a barely noticeable tinge of purple in them. A cheeky grin was plastered on his face.

"Well I see you've already noticed our new colleague." Arthur said when he saw Antonio's dumbfounded expression.

"Huh? Colleague?" Antonio turned his attention away from the newcomer only to throw a quizzical look at Arthur.

"That's right. Gilbert will be our partner for the next mission and in the mean time he'll be staying at our place."

The man named Gilbert approached Antonio and stretched his hand out in a friendly manner.

"Hey man! Nice to meet ya. The name's Gilbert Beilschmidt. I'll let you shake the awesome me's hand."

The man's speech was heavily accented and he was obviously German. He shook Antonio's hesitant hand eagerly. The Spaniard introduced himself politely and secretly threw Arthur a soundless message that said: 'Who the hell is this guy and where did you find him?' Arthur deciphered it immediately and responded by making a motion with his head towards Gilbert as if saying: 'Why don't you ask him yourself?' Antonio turned to Gilbert who was currently moving his bags into the living room.

"So, Gilbert, what exactly do you specialize in?"

"Oh me? I'm sort of a mercenary. People pay me to do stuff that's not usually legal if you know what I mean." Gilbert replied with his trademark grin as he casually threw his leather jacket onto the coffee table and plopped on the couch next to Antonio.

"In other words you're a criminal?" The Spaniard chose his words carefully. Arthur on the other hand found his friend's cautiousness rather amusing and passively watched the unfolding scene with a small smile.

"Well from what I know you guys aren't the most innocent things on Earth too. Plus even though I look awesomely badass I don't really go as far as killing people. That's just totally not my style. I'm too awesome for that." Gilbert finished his statement with a hearty laugh.

Antonio seemed to obviously relax at that. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad after all. He did have some sort of 'awesome' complex but on the whole he seemed decent to hang around with. And most importantly he wasn't a murderer.

Arthur smiled when he saw that the two were getting along fairly well. He didn't want to work with two constantly bickering partners as had been afraid it might turn out. But as he felt the fatigue of the busy day kick in and saw how late it was he decided it was time to interrupt their conversation.

"So," Arthur clapped his hands to gain the other two's attention. "now that we have made our acquaintances I guess it's about time to call it a day and get to bed."

All of a sudden Antonio was hit by realization.

"Wait. If I sleep on the bed and you sleep on the couch…where will Gilbert sleep?"

Two pairs of olive green and ruby red eyes stared at Arthur in anticipation of an answer. The blond threw them both a calculating look before replying.

"Wrong. To be correct _I _will be taking the bed and you…well that's entirely your problem and none of my concern."

"Hey no fair! I thought we had a deal!" Antonio protested, getting up from where he sat.

"Well excuse me but I think I deserve a warm bed after all the work I've done today."

Gilbert watched the two males argue with a bored expression.

"Sooo…the bedroom's over there right?" He suddenly interrupted motioning towards the bedroom door.

"Yes it is." Arthur spared him an irritated look and went back to arguing with Antonio. "As I was saying…"

The two were so absorbed in their bickering that they didn't notice when Gilbert got up, swung one of his bags over his shoulder and quietly went to the bedroom. The sound of a door locking was what brought them back to reality. The stunned duo stared wide-eyed at the door for a few moments, contemplating on what had just happened. It wasn't long before it hit them.

"Oh no, he didn't!" Arthur hissed and quickly strode over to the door.

"Gilbert you bastard get out of there this instant!"

"Nahh no way dude! The awesome me's totally not sharing a bed with you!" A smug voice answered from inside.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt I'm counting to three and if you haven't dragged your ass out of my bedroom by then I swear it'll get ugly!" Arthur half-growled half-yelled and started hitting the door, already feeling a headache creeping in.

"You mean our bedroom." Antonio corrected from behind.

"Wha? No! It sounds weird if you put it that way!"

Another fit of laughter was heard from the bedroom.

"You guys are funny. Anyways have an awesome night Artie!"

"Don't you dare call me Artie!"

This time no response followed. Antonio was quietly watching from aside. He knew when a situation was hopeless. Arthur was massaging his temples trying to tame the headache that was now torturing him at its full might. He was constantly cussing something under his breath. He turned towards Antonio and gave him an almost apologetic look considering that he was the one who brought Gilbert here and was already regretting it.

"I knew the guy was a total bastard but I didn't expect him to show it off so early." He said gritting his teeth.

A protesting whimper was heard from the bedroom.

"Well not much we can do about it now." Antonio said sounding very mature about the matter. He was too tired to deal with Gilbert and decided to cope with having to sleep on the couch or even on the ground which was a high possibility since Arthur was most likely to kick him away.

The two males sighed in unison. This was going to be one long night.

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><p><strong>AN: Btw my original idea for this chapter was for Arthur to steal the bedroom and it was supposed to be something like this:**

_The quick goodnight Arthur wished them and the sound of a door being locked were followed by a thick silence. The stunned duo stared wide-eyed at the door for a few moments, contemplating on what had just happened. _ _The silence was finally broken by Gilbert's voice._ "_Ermmm…just so you know, the awesome me's totally not sharing a couch with you."_ _Antonio sighed hiding his face in his hand. This was going to be one long night…_

**But my sis disapproved since she wants SpUk 8D (what about you guys? Which ending do you prefer?) **

**Next chapter will probably come out next week ^^ Reviews are always welcome (even if it's critique)**

**See ya!~  
><strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: *sigh* another eventless chapter…Sorry guys! I wanted to put Francis in this one but reality is a bitch and my inspiration isn't very cooperative. But I promised to write a chapter this week so here it is! There's a little SpUk moment in the end…don't kill me if it sucks though! I have absolutely no experience in writing such thngs! TT^TT **

**Btw I have been getting a lot of requests lately so there will be more SpUk (and maybe even a little PrUk) for all the fans out there! ;)**

**Requests for other pairings are also welcome but I can't guarantee that I'll use them all! ^^**

**Oh! I almost forgot! THANKSIES FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS! \(^o^)/ They really keep me going ^w^**

**Disclaimer: Me no own this awesomeness also known as Hetalia :3**

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><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter 6_

Gilbert woke up from a long, relaxing sleep.

Arthur, on the other hand, had just recently fallen asleep without having nightmares this time. He had had at least five of them each time he had tried to sleep that night and the pain from lying in an awkward position since he was forced to share a couch with a fairly larger Spaniard didn't make things any better.

Gilbert didn't know about Arthur's misfortunes. Well even if he did that wouldn't have stopped him from doing what he was about to do.

He walked into the living room while yawning and scratching his head sleepily and in the mean time trying to say good morning. His attempt sounded more like g'woonin than good morning but nobody noticed that since the other occupants of the apartment were still trying to get a decent sleep after not being able to do so during the night. That was probably due to the fact that they had managed to argue half of the night away before deciding that sleep was more important and collapsing on the couch together surprisingly without that ending with someone being kicked off.

Gilbert realized the reason behind the lack of reply to his 'g'woonin' (and the lack of curses and yelling after his takeover of the bedroom last night) and couldn't help but smile rather mischievously after seeing the pose that his new partners had taken.

"Well isn't that just cute."

The German's loud voice was enough to pull Arthur out of his slumber only to make him realize that two hands were wrapped around his waist and a head was lying on his chest. The Brit found his friend a little bit too close for comfort and made an unsuccessful attempt to push the other off him, simply ignoring Gilbert who was still ranting about having found awesome blackmail material. The only effect of Arthur's actions was Antonio tightening his grip on him and mumbling something along the lines of:

"Just five more minutes..."

Arthur sighed. He was just too tired to get angry not to mention take further action. Five more minutes seemed tempting even to him especially since they were probably going to turn out much more than just that. That is if Gilbert was planning to shut up any time soon and leave them alone. It was all his fault in the first place. 'Damn' the blond thought 'why is this so familiar'.

"Come on birdies! Don't tell me you're planning to sleep the day away!"

And that's when the poking began, making the experience even more painfully familiar for Arthur.

'Sleep first. Kill Gilbert (and Antonio) later.' He thought and tried to go back to dreamland that he so missed right now.

"Hey! You are not going to ignore the awesome me you hear me! That's totally unawesome."

Indeed Gilbert had other plans. 'Damn I'm too tired to even argue.' Arthur thought as he cracked one eye open.

"Fine you bastard! If you really want to die so soon…Just help me get this idiot off."

"No problem dude!" Gilbert grinned evilly this time. "I'll be more than happy to help…"

* * *

><p>"I'm telling you that was just plain mean!" Antonio whined for the hundredth time that morning.<p>

"You brought this upon yourself you know." Arthur retorted calmly sipping his morning tea.

"But you have to admit it was totally hilarious!" Gilbert grinned from across the table and let out another one of his annoying laughs. Antonio pouted at the German. His hair was still wet from the cup of ice cold water that landed on his face giving him a rather curt awakening.

"It was still mean…" he muttered to himself throwing Arthur a kicked puppy look. The blond on the other hand remained neutral. He was indeed the one that ordered Antonio's wakening but he never mentioned the means for that. That was for Gilbert to decide…

"So about our plans for today" Arthur changed the topic as he finished his tea and turned away from his newspaper "we have preparations to make." He looked at Antonio who finally perked up at the mention of something to do. Gilbert on the other hand was oblivious to what Arthur was talking about.

"I'll need some info on Francis's house as well as his guards. I'll also need more resources. You may need to contact our suppliers. Get my favorite drug if possible. We can't afford failure this time. Oh, and call Alex. Our passports expire tomorrow." Antonio nodded obediently at every request. At least he was serious when it came to work.

"Right. You can count on me." He answered quickly already heading towards his computer.

"Erm guys…what am I supposed to do?" Gilbert reminded the two of his existence.

"Oh! I forgot about you." Arthur thought for a while. "Just don't bother us while we're working." Arthur said as he followed Antonio to the living room ignoring Gilbert as he muttered "totally unawesome dude..."

* * *

><p>When Arthur arrived at Russell Square it was already crowded with people. It was perfect although it made his task much more difficult. He was looking for someone. Someone that was meant to be unseen by the others. Arthur scanned the square one more time before his experienced eyes fell on the man he was looking for. The two men exchanged looks before heading into different directions. They met only five minutes later in an old building near the square and that's when they finally became friendlier with each other.<p>

"Nice to see you again old chap! Although I didn't expect you to be in London of all places."Arthur smiled as he shook the other's hand. The man in front of him had dark brown hair that ended just below his ears and his eyes were a mixture of brown and green. He was as slim as Arthur but a little bit taller than him.

"To tell you the truth me neither. But you know…business requires it." The brunette whose name was Alexander returned the smile politely. "I don't suppose you're here on vacation as well?" he added and his smile grew into a smirk.

"Sharp as always I see." Arthur replied sarcastically. "Indeed I'm not. Business as you say requires it. I think you know why I called you."

"The usual I guess..." Alex shrugged. "Any changes this time?"

"Just in the number" Arthur said and pulled something out of his pocket. "We have a colleague this time." He explained as he handed Alex a photo of Gilbert and a sheet of paper containing the German's information. Fake information to be more correct.

"When do you need them?" Alex asked as he took the documents and threw them a quick glance before putting them in his own pocket.

"By next week if possible. How much will it be?"

"500$ now. Another 500$ when they're done."

Arthur handed the said amount and the other took the money starting a conversation as he counted them.

"So, who's the unlucky guy this time?"

"Some loaded frenchie." Arthur snorted. "But he's worth the trouble."

"Is he that rich?" Alex inquired looking up curiously.

"More than you can imagine." Arthur smirked proudly. "In fact I think he'll be our ticket to a better life if you know what I mean."

"So he's the last one?" the brunette looked a little disappointed. "That's a pity. I really enjoyed working with you. You were my most regular client after all."

"Heh. I don't think that that'll change my friend. I'm planning a lot of excursions after our trip to Francis's. I'll still need a passport for that." The Brit explained and turned to leave without any more formalities.

"Send me a card from Bulgaria when you have time." He said as he waved casually with his back towards the other.

"Where to?" The Bulgarian smiled gloatingly.

The Brit stopped and thought for a moment.

"You know what…make it an e-card."

* * *

><p>When Arthur got back to the apartment more work was waiting for him. The next few hours were spent in inspecting pictures from the frog's house, planning tomorrow's date and many other annoying preparations but as Arthur said before it was worth the trouble. Gilbert didn't help much as boredom was annoying the shit out of him and therefore he annoyed the shit out of Arthur and Antonio. It was already 11.30 pm when the last details were cleared and the lack of sleep was taking its effect on Arthur. Yes, it was time to sleep. But where?...<p>

"Goodnight dudes. The awesome me needs my beauty sleep." Gilbert yawned as he headed towards the bedroom finally exhausted from bugging Arthur and Antonio all day.

"Oh no you don't!" Arthur said trying to sound angry but failing as a yawn muffled his words and made them sound half-hearted instead.

"You are not taking the bed tonight!" He glared threateningly with sleepy half-lidded eyes but it wasn't very effective as Gilbert slammed the door before the blond could even finish his sentence.

"Damn you Beilschmidt!" the blond yelled followed by another stubborn yawn. Antonio was once again passive about the whole argument.

Suddenly they heard a creak and the bedroom door was slowly half opened showing Gilbert's smug smirking face.

"You know Artie…" He started as he leaned on the doorframe "if you insist so much you can come to the awesome me's bedroom tonight and-"

The German was cut off by a pillow landing dangerously near his head but he managed to avoid it colliding with his face(which it was probably meant to do) by shutting the door on time. Arthur looked at Antonio with surprise.

"Why did you do that?"

"I dunno…" The Spaniard retorted obviously irritated. "He was annoying me. Why? Were you planning to accept his offer?"

"Hmph." The blond huffed. "Why not? I might as well have."

Antonio smirked as an idea crept into his head. He suddenly wrapped his hands around Arthur's waist and pulled him down onto the couch so that the blond was practically sitting in his lap.

"So you're willing to share a bed with Gilbert but you don't want to share a couch with me?" The Spaniard whispered in the other's ear teasingly.

Arthur was a little taken aback by that but surprisingly didn't make any attempt to break free from Antonio's grip.

"Well it is a bed after all." He said crossing his arms. "I don't see why I shouldn't."

Antonio blinked in surprise. He wanted to facepalm right now. Surely Arthur wasn't so dense. The Brit was skilled at making hints but he apparently had no talent at understanding them. The Spaniard sighed and got up from the couch leaving a confused blond behind. It was a miracle they had gotten so far with Arthur being...well…Arthur! The brunette smiled to himself a little as he thought that…

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><p><strong>AN: Pls don't kill me cause nothing interesting happened! DX (btw it's 3 in the morning right now so I'm not really capable of writing anything more sufficient ^^') **

**I'll compensate in the next chapter! (which I have no idea when I'll write but it won't be long promise) I'll probably update my other story before that…pls check it out if you haven't! I have pretty grand plans for it~ ;) **

**If you haven't understood Alex is Bulgaria and he makes fake passports. Arthur and Antonio are one of his clients.**

****Oh and real quick! This is a short salute for my friends Vesi and Bibi! Thanks for reading my story and supporting me guys! I really appreciate that as a rookie ;_;  
><strong>**

** And one more thanks to my awesome readers as well! ^w^ **

**Pls review and fav to keep this story going! (though I'll probably continue it even if you don't :D)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: OMG I'm so late OAO and this chapter is so short! Dx Pls don't hate me TT^TT This was supposed to be twice as long but I don't like posting long chapters so maybe I'll update again tomorrow? Perhaps? I dunno. Time isn't being very cooperative 8[**

**Btw THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING AND FAVING! X]]] I'm sorry I'm not able to answer ur reviews but I want you to know that I'm very grateful! ^^**

**On with the story~**

**Disclaimer: Not mine as u all know :3**

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><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter 7_

Arthur tapped his fingers impatiently on the polished table top. The bloody frog was late! The Brit was starting to wonder whether he would be able to keep a friendly facade if the idiot didn't appear in two minutes.

"Mon cher? Is something bothering you?" The all too familiar voice startled Arthur making him jump slightly. Now if it was anyone other than Francis he would scold the hell out of them but luckily that smooth pawky voice was easily recognizable. Momentarily Arthur put on Liam's mask and smiled as politely as he could.

"Why hello Francis!" he greeted, his Australian accent as flawless as ever. "I was starting to worry you wouldn't show up." Francis returned a similar smile and sat opposite his companion.

"Ma chérie one has to be a fool to miss such an opportunity. However I don't remember you answering my question." Francis leaned his head on his hand. Arthur hesitated.

"Oh don't mind that. I was just spacing out." The shorter blond replied after deciding that he should avoid the subject in the simplest way there was. There was no point in making things more complicated. Francis would just make use of that. Arthur had already admitted that the frog was smarter than he looked.

"I see. If you say so Arthur." Francis replied with a rather fake look of disappointment. He just couldn't hide his smirk anymore.

"Thank you for understand-…What did you call me just now?"

Francis held back a chuckle. Arthur's expression was priceless, even cute actually. Well, there was no point in weaseling. The French man deadpanned and stated bluntly:

"Let's be fair Arthur. You're not being entirely honest with me. In fact I think you're not being honest at all."

Arthur opened his mouth to say something but his attempt failed miserably. What was he supposed to say? Should he deny? Or should he confess? Denying would just complicate his situation if Francis had proof (which he probably did since he was right.). But how should he confess? 'Yep. You're right. My name's Arthur Kirkland and I'm trying to fool and rob you by the way. I hope you don't mind.' Like hell he could say that! That would be his ticket to prison or worst – he may become at the mercy of Francis. Luckily the French man saved him the trouble of answering by continuing with a smile.

"But of course I'm not the one to speak. I'll make it clear from now – you don't have to be completely honest with me since I can't promise you that I myself will be. I presume you're smart enough to know that my name is Dupont as much as yours is Carter. You're not going to deny that right?" Francis threw Arthur a searching look and the blond just nodded in response.

"Good. In short I'm not a man that seeks stable relationships or lasting ones for that matter. On the contrary I prefer to have my fun and leave it like that, you know like one night stands." Another nod followed. "So I hope you don't expect much from me and share the same way of thinking mon cher because I wouldn't want to miss an opportunity like you even if it's only for a while, trust me when I say that."

Arthur looked down at the table with his brows slightly furrowed. Francis's expecting look didn't waver until he finally got a reply.

"I expected no more. Our thoughts are the same on this one." Arthur spoke calmly without hiding his real accent anymore. Liam had failed. Now it was time for plan B: gain Francis' 'trust' as Arthur Kirkland and hope that that name would be the only thing the frog will remember about him. However he still had to be cautious. There was no guarantee that that was all Francis knew. As if on cue Francis decided to answer that dreadful question.

"Perfect my dear. I sort of knew you would say that. But besides that and your delightful name of course everything about you, ma belle, is a mystery. I give you my word as a gentleman that I'm being honest about that. I had always thought that my informers were undefeatable but you went and proved me wrong there."

Francis stirred his already served coffee and smiled genuinely. He could not deny that he was having fun. It wouldn't hurt to let his guard down a bit even if Arthur was more than untrustworthy.

The Brit finally felt in place. Knowing that his identity was safe he could once again play his game with even loss as an option. Not that he would allow loss now. He was Arthur Kirkland again but this Arthur was nothing like himself. He was more like Liam with a different name and accent – a smile on his face, looking so innocent that even Francis might think he actually was.

"Well, Francis, as you said before I know about you as much as you know about me. I think we both prefer it that way."

An approving nod, this time from Francis. After that everything took its course. At first glance – a couple chatting lively. In reality – an ingenious robber doing his thing and a billionaire equally as ingenious arranging a backfire, both of them perfectly aware of each other's intentions but never dropping their act. It was like the quiet before the storm…

* * *

><p>Antonio sighed in pure boredom. He had been watching those two for almost half an hour and it didn't provide to be an interesting activity considering that he could only watch and not hear them. There had been a stir a while ago when Arthur had become as pale as a sheet but everything had calmed down just as he was about to rush to the rescue. How boring. Right now he was forced to observe his partner smiling as an idiot as a suspicious French was (obviously) flirting with him.<p>

Arthur was forcing a giggle after yet another one of Francis's cheap pick up lines when he suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket.

"Oh excuse me." He mumbled quickly before flipping his phone to get rid of the distraction.

_**[Antonio]**_

_**Isn't ur mouth sore from all that smiling? U look like an idiot :D**_

_**[Message received**__** 1.30 PM **__**]**_

Arthur's brow twitched in irritation and he could feel a vein popping on his forehead. Francis threw Arthur a questioning look that went unnoticed. The Brit began typing frustratedly.

_**[Arthur Kirkland]**_

_**If you don't shut it I'm going to make your manhood unusable for the rest of your life when I'm done here.**_

_**[Message sent 1.32 PM]**_

Just as the blond put his phone back in his pocket and opened his mouth to apologize he felt the damned thing vibrate again.

_**[Antonio]**_

_**Ha ha :D ur funny Artie. At least u stopped smiling for a moment :P I was starting to think u were sick or sth ;)**_

_**[Message received 1.33 PM]**_

Arthur felt another twitch. It seems he hadn't been convincing enough.

_**[Arthur Kirkland]**_

_**You're the one that's going to be sick if you don't stop fooling around you bloody moron! And fix your bloody spelling. It's horrendous. **_

_**[Message sent 1.36 PM]**_

With that the poor phone got another forceful shutting and Arthur made a rather unconvincing smile. The smile was actually fine if you ignored the murderous aura.

"Is there anything wrong mon cher?" Francis raised a brow.

"Nope. Wrong number." Arthur replied with a 'don't-ask-again-if-you-value-your-life' face. "Just some imbecile that thinks he's funny."

Another buzz.

"Well he's a rather persistent imbecile non?"

_**[Antonio]**_

_**omg ur face got scary D: I guess I shouldn't interrupt ur date :DDD Have fun with Frenchie then~ ;PP**_

_**[Message received 1.40 PM]**_

_**[Arthur Kirkland]**_

_**Shut. The. Fuck. Up. Git. **_

_**[Message sent 1.42 PM]**_

Antonio giggled at the last message and decided that it was enough fooling around for the day. He put away his phone and continued observing the duo trying to guess what they were saying in order to keep himself entertained and not falling asleep. However somewhere during the conversation Arthur's smile began to flutter. Antonio watched the troubling change with anxiety.

Even if he didn't look like it the Spaniard was really concerned about his British friend and Arthur's constant ventures and stubbornness didn't make it any easier for Antonio. He always thought that Arthur's self-confidence would be the end of him and the brunette had made it his mission to prevent his friend from getting hurt. That's why he was always around even if Arthur didn't want him to be.

The Spaniard bit his lip and his serious expression stiffened. It annoyed him to no end that he was so close yet he couldn't do anything. Maybe he was exaggerating but there was evidently something wrong. After a few more stretched minutes Arthur and Francis got up and shook hands. Arthur's smile looked terribly forced while Francis was the same as always, perhaps even jauntier than before. They parted at the exit and Arthur headed in the opposite direction of the van waiting for him. It was a kind of a safety precaution of Arthur and Antonio's - to make sure no one followed Arthur and knew of their connection. When Antonio heard the van door open and close he didn't spare Arthur a glance. They sat in silence for a while. Antonio was giving Arthur time to relax a bit. Arthur's scowl was bitterer and he was in deep thought. As he finally felt his partner's stare he began explaining. It was amazing how the two understood each other with looks alone.

"We have a problem." Arthur stated slowly with a sigh while rubbing his temples where his migraine was already kicking in.

"I can see that." Antonio replied in a tone that encouraged his friend to continue.

"I have another date. At his house as we planned. The time is perfect…BUT he has conditions."

"Conditions? About what? "

"Time, route, clothes, accessories, everything!" Arthur's tone rose with each word until he was almost shouting.

"Why? That's weird." Antonio spluttered confusedly.

"Well apparently he's afraid that someone might trick him," Arthur said matter-of-factly "which we are trying to do by the way."

The Brit sank in the leather seat angrily blowing a stray strand of messy blond hair away from his face.

"Our first plan was to put him out with a needle dipped in sedative." Arthur voiced his speculations. "But there's no way to hide a needle in a T-shirt or skinny jeans with no pockets (I don't even know where to get such)."

"Why not? It's just a needle." Antonio shrugged.

"Because I'm going to be searched, 'thoroughly' as my dear friend Francis put it." The blond pointed out the words dear and friend with professional sarcasm. "I don't think a sharp needle classifies as a safe object."

"So we're giving up."

" As if!" Arthur crossed his arms and pouted like a little kid. "I'm going to figure it out…somehow."

Antonio's lips tugged in a smile. Arthur was so predictable (and cute). However judging by his thoughtful grimace there was no way of dissuading him.

"Still…" the blond muttered. "I wonder if everything will be okay…"

"Hah. Look who's all skeptical now." Toni teased although it came out more like a comfort.

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><p><strong>AN: No cliffhanger this time! 8D (is that bad?...:|) I promise the next chapter is going to be awesome! Guess what…another character will appear! \(^o^)/ **

**So I don't know if it's necessary but here are the translations of the words Francis used: **

**Mon cher/ Ma chérie – my dear **

**ma belle – my beauty **

**(damn my author's notes suck more with each chapter..-.-) **

**Pls review! x3**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: OMG I'm SO LATE! OAO Sooooo sorry guys! I'm so ashamed! I know this chapter's short but that's because it either had to be too short or too long. :D I didn't go with the latter cos I don't like uploading long chapters. (yeah, you probably hate me by now ^^') but fear not! I'm having a week off school and the next chapter will be up before you know it! Btw right now I'm hiding under my covers with my laptop (which battery's probably gonna run out any moment now) and I'm in danger of being killed by my mum so I can't make this A/N longer :/ though I highly doubt you want to bother yourselves with my rambling (especially since I've already made you wait so long xD) so on with the *coughreallyshortcough* chapter ;D **

**Disclaimer: if I owned Hetalia Igggy would be my husband so….yeah…not mine :/**

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><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter 8_

"Hah. Look who's all skeptical now." Toni teased.

Suddenly there was dense silence which led Antonio to the thought that he had probably pressed the wrong button again. All that was left was to see how bad the result was. Seriously Arthur was so complicated.

"I'm going out." The Brit ended the awkward tranquility.

"Out? Where?"

"Away from you." Was the short reply before the door was shut with such force that the whole vehicle trembled. It was the beginning of the storm after the calm.

"Aw come on Artie! It was just a joke." Toni yelled after his partner but gave up when he realized that there was no way Arthur could hear him now. He had already disappeared among the crowd. Antonio rolled his eyes helplessly. It was one of those situations that he was used to but far from enjoyed. When Arthur jumped to conclusions even god himself was probably unable to convince the Brit otherwise. Amazingly Antonio had somehow surpassed god in this matter. The Spaniard slipped out of the van into the crowded streets. Arthur was somewhere out there among the sea of people and it was up to Antonio to find him. He guessed that that was some sort of punishment for his joke. After all Arthur didn't have to worry about getting lost but Antonio on the other hand was almost 50 per cent sure that in the end it would be Arthur looking for him (if he was willing to of course).

'He can't have gotten too far, right?' Toni tried to reassure himself before he dove into the crowd.

Arthur had no problem avoiding the rushing people around him. One year in London was enough for anyone to acquire that skill whether they wanted it or not. It was simply a must.

Arthur had spent much more than a year in London and the city had long since taken a special place in his heart. Part of that was because London was the first place where Arthur had felt safe from everything he hated. That included his brothers and parents of course. It was the first place where he found friends, some of them still an important part of his life. But mostly it was because of Arthur's love for historical beauty. And who can deny that London had that. The beautiful architecture, old libraries and galleries made it a piece of art that captivated the youngest Kirkland as soon as he arrived. Even now as he paced the streets that he knew like the back of his hand he felt a warm nostalgic feeling tingling inside him.

However at that moment even the blissful sun rays that London rarely saw as it was fairly more familiar with rain and storms didn't seem to reach the Brit. They were swallowed by his subdued mood. Arthur wasn't as dense as he seemed. He knew that Antonio's joke was meant to cheer him up. However that same joke had touched a sore spot in Arthur. Antonio was right. Again. Arthur's pride was badly hurt and his defense mechanism had just kicked in back then and caused his reaction. Antonio as oblivious as he is was probably confused and most likely looking for Arthur.

"Damn that idiot." Arthur muttered. "He'll definitely get lost. And guess who'll have to look for him when that happens…"

* * *

><p>As if by instinct Antonio headed to the nearest place he knew in London. He was bumping into people and saying 'my bad' or '¡perdón' whenever he could (obviously he hadn't earned the previously mentioned skill even after almost two years spent in London). He didn't notice the giggles and smiles he got from the young girls he passed but then again his obliviousness added to his charm.<p>

Antonio stopped to catch his breath as he reached his destination. He was in front of one of the many police stations in London only that this one held a certain meaning for the Spaniard. He looked around and found himself extremely lucky as he spotted a mop of messy blond hair that he could recognize anywhere. He came closer and examined his friend noticing that Arthur was simply gazing at the building with a blank almost sad stare. Toni approached with a smile as bright as the sun.

"Awwww how cute." He said as he playfully leaned on Arthur's shoulder. "I knew you'd be here."

"And why's that?" the blond asked irritated as his typical frown replaced his blank expression.

"Don't play dumb with me." Toni's smile widened. "We have a quarrel and you immediately come to this place." The brunette turned towards the old building full of memories. "The place we first met. That means you miss me~"

"Humph. As if that's the reason," Arthur grunted and looked away with his nose in the air. "besides it wasn't really a quarrel…" he whispered and his words went unheard as they were meant to be.

The duo stood in silence for a few seconds as if giving each other time to remember one and the same thing.

"Plus I'll have you know," Arthur continued successfully getting Antonio's attention. "that this is also the place where I first met Alfred. How do you know I'm not thinking of him?"

At that Antonio visibly sulked. But it was true that the first thing Arthur associated the police station with was Alfred – his best friend in high school and even before that. You see Arthur came to London in the beginning of the summer before his first year at high school. After all he wanted to get away from his family as soon as possible. Of course the feeling of freedom got to his head just like it would with any other teenager and he soon began discovering the pleasures of being independent. Night clubs, pubs, bars. All of them were thoroughly investigated. After the museums and galleries of course but those were places that provided only temporary entertainment.

Alfred and Arthur's meeting was almost…well exactly like Arthur and Antonio's. Sharing a miniature cell at the police station can make two people close whether they want it or not. At first Arthur cursed the heavens for bringing him so close to a boisterous air head like the cheerful Alfred F. Jones – a typical charming American with looks that could kill and a million dollars smile that could adorn any fashion magazine who had just moved to Britain to 'show the British how it's done!'.

But what seemed to be an obnoxious brat turned out to be more than just a boaster with a flashy tongue. After spending two hours with Alfred it was obvious to Arthur that this dog could bite better than it could bark. Underneath the country boy look and seemingly shallow personality was a criminal mastermind, someone that Arthur would call a genius rarely to be found. Indeed Alfred was a man with great plans that he didn't bother to hide from his cell mate. By the time Arthur left the police station Alfred had already left a deep impression in him. That night the Brit thought hard and thus got to the simple conclusion that his life was boring and somewhere then the rebellious thief that he was today began to awake.

So if the world is a small place what can we say about London? Well it's not as big as they say as only two months later Arthur was sitting next to that same person that he had met that faithful night and was now his classmate. Of course the roots of an unbreakable friendship were already set and it wasn't long before the two were as thick as thieves. They were the undeniable proof that opposites attract each other. Arthur – prideful, ironic as hell, hardheaded yet somehow rebellious and inspiring respect wherever he went and Alfred – cheerful, mischievous, and energetic. Only Arthur however knew Alfred's genius side. Alfred was not only Arthur's friend but also an irreplaceable teacher. All that Arthur knew today – body language, the art of deceiving, toying with people's minds, unlocking any safe and lock, sedatives – it was all thanks to Alfred.

Unfortunately time goes by quickly when you're having fun and it was time for the teens to take separate paths. The event that permanently decided Arthur's future wasn't long after that. It inserted a new person in the Brit's life – Antonio Fernandez Carriedo - a Spanish emigrant, about a year older than Arthur, well built, slim, tan skin gently tinted by the Spanish sun and olive green eyes that carried a mysterious passion distinctive for his nationality. Dark brown curls of shiny hair messily covering his forehead and a bright smile that fitted his handsome face better than anything else – that was Antonio Carriedo. It was fate that the two met and fact that they are still working together even though they have some minor misunderstandings from time to time. Like now for example.

Antonio frowned a little at the mention of Alfred's name. The Spaniard rarely disliked anyone as he was quite loving by nature but when he did he just vented all his negative feelings on them. He didn't do it openly of course but when provoked Antonio turned into an entirely different person. He became merciless and it was absolutely terrifying if you seriously got on his bad side. Well he didn't hate Alfred that much. He hadn't even met the guy. But he knew him better than most people thanks to Arthur. It was always Alfred this, Alfred that. But what peeved the patient and easygoing Spaniard the most was always being compared to Alfred.

"You know you should learn from Alfred." Arthur suddenly started in a new tone.

'Here we go again.' Antonio rolled his eyes in annoyance. He turned to look for something more amusing and stared at whatnot in neglect while Arthur blabbered away about Alfred.

"…and yet he is so responsible and- Hey! Are you even listening to me?" the blond yelled irritated.

"No." Antonio muttered without hiding his own annoyance. He was still leaning on Arthur's shoulder – proof that he was close enough to the Brit not to be shoved off. Arthur wasn't the type that liked to be touched but he was already used to Antonio's clinginess. Just as Arthur was about to scold Antonio a familiar loud voice rang in his ears.

"Artie!"

Arthur turned around suddenly shaking Antonio off him in the process and what he saw filled him with nostalgia. A man was pushing through the crowd, trying to reach them. His wheat blond hair almost golden in the sun fluttered as he avoided the many people in the street. It was combed to the side except for one single cowlick that stuck out queerly defying all laws of gravity. Tanned skin, snow white teeth that gleamed through a wide cheery smile and clear shining eyes, a shade of blue that could rival the sky's gave him a healthy youthful look. He was tall and slim with a reasonable amount of muscles and as handsome as one could be.

"Alfred…" Arthur muttered as he met those blue eyes and his lips tugged in a smile.

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><p><strong>AN: That's it! Haaaah! I made a cliffhanger again :D though you can surely guess who that was :/…whatever…-.-**

**So I decided to add some more description to the characters since I noticed that I haven't said almost anything about Toni and he's a main after all :D Hope you liked it**

**Oh and THANK YOU all for reviewing and faving \(^o^)/ I have no words to describe how happy you make me with each review! TTwTT So pls review and fav! I'll even try to answer your reviews!**

**Ok so seriously I gotta go cos I feel like I'm gonna suffocate under the sheets and my laptop's gonna die any moment o_o love ya all, new chapter coming soon (sooner xD) and I'm out! **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Yay! I kept my promise! d(^_^) So here's ch9 it's longer than the last one. Nothing much happens but at least it's funny (I hope). I promise that I'll concentrate on the main story in the next chapters! **

**Thanksies for ur reviews! Each one makes me really happy! Thanks to everyone who added this story to their alert or favorite list! You're the best guys! *hugs*  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: The genius that is Hetalia belongs to Himaruya-sensei the Great *bows***

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><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter 9  
><em>

Arthur's lips tugged into a smile that he had long forgotten – a genuine smile that shone as bright as the sun and slightly wavered as he was caught in a bone crushing hug and even lifted off the ground by his fairly larger best friend. The Brit wanted to comment on Alfred's lack of manners but the feeling of hearing that carefree laugh that was still as annoying as he remembered but more heartwarming than ever evaporated his anger.

"You git! Put me down you moron! Didn't you learn any bloody manners in those two years!" The offensive meaning of the Brit's words was drowned in his own laughter that slowly died until he was just staring and smiling at his American friend letting his heart fill with long but not permanently forgotten nostalgic memories.

"What's the matter old man? Too much commotion? Need time to catch your breath?" The American chirped and added a push to Arthur's shoulder that almost threw the smaller blond off balance.

"Oh shut it! You have no right to call me old with your monstrous height. "Arthur retorted before he started a tickle war with Alfred in the middle of the street as if to prove that he still had that juvenile playfulness coursing through his veins. It was amazing how Arthur transformed around Alfred to the point where he completely ignored the weird looks people gave them and simply laughed it away. The need to breathe interrupted their friendly scuffle.

"Two years and you haven't changed a tad." Arthur managed to say through ragged breaths. Alfred just grinned in response.

"You too Artie. You too."

"And for the hundredth time my name is Arthur. Have you already forgotten that?"

The smaller blond who had now recovered tried to tame his messy hair and give himself a more serious look. Not that it had any effect. Alfred pouted.

"That hurt. I thought we were best friends you know."

"Don't use the puppy eyes on me. You know I hate that nickname." The stuffy Brit crossed his arms.

"Hey Artie who's that?" a third voice joined the party making the two turn their heads at its direction.

"Oh Antonio…" Arthur said and mentally slapped himself for completely forgetting his partner. And it was indeed Antonio that had interrupted them after he had observed from afar for about five minutes or so.

"So," Arthur coughed to get the others' attention "Alfred this is Antonio – my…ermmm…business partner. Antonio this is Alfred. I believe I have talked to you about him."

Antonio felt a little hurt to be called a 'business partner' but had no time to protest as Alfred spoke again without even bothering to offer his hand or introduce himself properly to the Spaniard.

"Heeeeeeey no fair! How come he can call you Artie and I can't."

"Huh? I-"Arthur stopped his words in midway since he realized he didn't really have an answer for that. "Well…He..." The blond stuttered "I guess it's because I call him Toni and so…"

"Yeah but you call me Al too right?" Alfred objected.

"True…I wonder why…"

* * *

><p>Antonio had never felt so left out in his life. Usually he was in the center of the crowd but right now he was being utterly ignored. The three of them were roaming aimlessly around London. Well actually it was more like Alfred and Arthur were chatting away their souls and Antonio was struggling to keep up with their pace. From time to time Alfred let out one of his loud laughs that only annoyed the Spaniard and gave him another reason to dislike the American. And the list was already fairly large even though he had just met the guy. They went on like that until they reached another small square where Alfred began looking around rather impatiently which went unnoticed by Arthur.<p>

"Artie can I ask ya somethin'?"

"Sure lad. Go on."

"Yeah but…" At that the American gestured towards Antonio a little uncomfortably hoping that Arthur would get the hint. Arthur shifted his gaze from Al to Toni and back until it hit him.

"Oh! Oh don't worry about Toni. He's trustworthy. It's safe to tell him everything you tell me."

"That's awesome dude but I think it's kinda personal this time." Now Alfred threw Antonio a look that the Spaniard understood immediately.

"No problem. I'll wait over here." Toni smiled as he saw Arthur's apologetic expression and winked to tell him it was ok.

"Aw thanks dude! We won't be long promise." With that Alfred dragged Arthur away and Toni gave them a halfhearted wave. Arthur's eyes stayed on Antonio for a while and the Spaniard began to suspect that Arthur knew how he really felt. Antonio was doing a great job hiding his irritation. Of course it was normal for best friends to have secrets but the thought of Arthur having a secret from him kind of annoyed Antonio. It was egoistic and he tried to convince himself that he had no problem with it but the feeling of uneasiness didn't leave him.

Arthur also felt wrong about what happened. Hiding something from Antonio was new to him and he couldn't help but feel like he had hurt his friend. For now the Brit tossed his thoughts aside and concentrated on the matter at hand. There was another worry that was rankling him on the inside. What did Alfred want to tell him? Though Arthur wasn't let to worry anymore as Al finally stopped dragging him around and got to the point.

"Ok so I'll start from the beginning. You can probably guess what I've been doing since I left school right?"

"Well I doubt it's much different from what I've been doing. Go on."

Alfred let out a laugh which made Arthur relax a bit.

"You old dog! I knew it. So how do you do things on your side?"

"Hmm well I use the seducing tactic and I dare say I'm getting quite good at it."

"And him?" Alfred pointed at Antonio's general direction.

"Antonio? Oh he deals with research, watch out and escape. Truth to be said I don't think I can do without him."

"Uhuh…I see." Alfred said but he obviously didn't care much. "I'm also working with a partner. You remember Matt right?"

"Matthew? Your brother. How can I not? He was quite the talented lad."

"Can't argue with ya on that one. And yeah I'm workin' with my bro. It's sort of like a family business if you think about it." Alfred grinned. "He's here with me by the way."

"You don't say?"

"Yeah! And he's much closer than you think."

"What do you mean by that?"

Alfred looked around once again and leaned closer to Arthur to lower the chances of being heard.

"3 o'clock by the café."

Arthur turned his head at the said direction and with great difficulty spotted a familiar figure standing by one of the buildings. To prove that that was who he was looking for the figure waved at him and Arthur returned it with a smile. Arthur was indeed quite fond of Alfred's Canadian half brother. He was one of the most decent and pleasant to have a conversation with people.

"In fact," Alfred continued after also greeting his brother "we came here to find you."

"Huh?" Arthur was stunned. "Me?" he said as he pointed at himself.

"Yup! And I guess we're extremely lucky to find you here! You did say you rarely came to London but we decided to try."

"Yes. We're staying because of business. We're onto something big if you know what I mean."

"Now that you say something big – so are we!" Alfred leaned even closer and looked around again. Once he was sure there were no unwanted listeners he went on. "We're planning to hit the national bank of Washington…" Al whispered into Arthur's ear and Arthur could feel the smirk on his friend's face.

"You what?" The Brit yelled and Al covered his mouth before Arthur could gain any more unnecessary attention. The smaller blond quickly regained his composure and pulled Alfred closer by the collar so they could have the privacy they needed for this conversation.

"Do you realize what you're saying?" he hissed in his friend's ear. "That's insane! The chances are one in a billion! You'll be lucky only to get to the vault but getting inside will be almost impossible!"

"I know! I know!" Alfred tried to calm Arthur down. "And that's why we need you!" Arthur went quiet and only stared. "The two of us with Mattie might not be able to do it but with your help things will be much easier. With your genius and my skills we'll make an awesome team! So, what do you say?"

Arthur thought for a while.

"I don't know Al. Well I do agree that if we work together it might be possible. I know what you're capable of after all."

"I know right! And I trained Mattie as well! He turned out to be quite the pro. Who knew his 'invisibility' could come in handy."

Arthur smiled a little as he remembered Matthew's 'invisibility' problem as Alfred liked to call it. The boy was just so unnoticeable and quiet at times that he was almost literally invisible. On top of that although half brothers Arthur could have sworn Alfred and Matthew were identical and people often mistook them for twins. The only difference was that Mat had slightly longer and wavier hair with a very weird curly strand sticking out and his eyes were violet instead of sky blue. Other than that and their opposite personalities they were simply the same.

Alfred waited for Arthur to think. The American knew that it wasn't an easy choice but he relied on their close past relationship and somewhere deep down was almost sure that Arthur would accept. The answer came soon enough. Arthur lifted his face to look at Alfred and teased him for a moment before smiling devilishly.

"I believe we'll divide the loot equally." Alfred replied to Arthur's smirk with a laugh.

"I knew I could count on you Artie!"

"It's Arthur!" Alfred pouted. "Ok I'm going to go and break the news to Antonio. I think he's going to be glad we're changing targets."

"Whoah! Whoah Arthur!...Hold on a sec. You're not seriously planning to…you know…take that guy with us are you?"

"Well yes. He _is_ my partner. And his name is Antonio mind you." Arthur was getting a bit irritated at Alfred's attitude towards Antonio.

"Sorry dude. No can do!" Al threw his hands in the air to emphasize on what he said.

"Why? Antonio is a professional. The more we are the better. You can't rob a national bank with three people."

"Yes we can! I mean come on I've just met the guy how do you expect me to trust him?"

"I've known him for years now and you can trust me I believe. I guarantee for Antonio."

"Ok then let's say that's true. But then we'll have to divide the money by four and there won't be a point in the whole thing!"

* * *

><p>Antonio stared blankly at his shoes kicking the dust under them from boredom. From time to time he threw a glance at the duo that were quite far away but still not out of sight. However as he once again lifted his head the mood of the conversation had changed. Arthur looked angry now and they were most likely arguing. Antonio even noticed Alfred looking and pointing at him a few times. Were they talking about him? Suddenly after ten minutes of quarreling Alfred and Arthur's expressions softened and they no longer seemed to be angry. Not long after that Alfred hugged the smaller blond and they shook hands. Now Antonio was really confused and he couldn't wait to ask Arthur what had happened when he came back.<p>

"Artie what the hell happened back there?"

"Ah! Were you spying on us?" Arthur inquired instead of answering.

"Well you made it too easy and I couldn't help myself. So what did you talk about?"

Arthur rolled his eyes.

"He confessed his love for me." The Brit said his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"¡Dios mío! Did you turn him down?"

Arthur couldn't help but laugh at that.

* * *

><p><em>flashback:<em>

_"Aw come on dude! We're best buds! Can't you ditch that guy at least once?"_

_"Alfred…No, I can't! It's not so simple."_

_"Artie think about it: we're talking about loads of cash here and you're just gonna flee because of some partner?"_

_"He's not just my partner, he's my friend!" Arthur raised his voice enough to silence Alfred._

_The American looked uneasy and when he spoke again he was muttering._

_"Still. You can think about it right?...I mean like you can always help us and then go back to him…"_

_Arthur smiled. It seemed like he had finally made his point._

_"I'm sorry Al. I can't leave Toni. At least not yet." Alfred nodded in understanding and Arthur continued. "Plus we're onto something big and it'll be a pity if we don't finish it."_

_"Ok. I get it." Alfred finally smiled as well. "So I guess it's goodbye then…Me and Mattie are leaving tomorrow."_

_"I see…See you again then old chap-" Before Arthur could finish what he wanted to say he was caught in another hug but this time it was gentler than before. The Brit hugged his friend back._

_"Send my greetings to Matt. And don't do anything foolish without me around, get it?"_

_"Yeah, yeah. I get it dad." Alfred sighed at his friend's parental concern. 'Arthur really hasn't changed huh...' the blue-eyed blond thought._

_"To tell you the truth now I suddenly have more confidence that me and Mattie can pull it off even without you guys' help."_

_"Wait! You're still planning to go for the national bank?"_

_"Yup! And there's nothing in this world that can change my mind!"_

_"I should have known…" Arthur sighed. "But you know what? I believe in you Al. With your skills you'll pull it off. After all you never cease to amaze me."_

_Alfred grinned even wider. Before he turned to leave he said one last thing to his British friend._

_"Hey. Tell that Antonio guy that he's lucky to have a partner like you."_

_Arthur chuckled. "He knows that trust me."_

_They shook hands and that was it…_

_end of flashback_

* * *

><p>"Oh come ooon tell me! Did you really turn him down?"<p>

Arthur could barely hold back his laughter. Fooling people was amusing but fooling Antonio was simply hilarious.

The blond looked at the bright azure sky that was now slowly being painted gold by the sunset. Arthur thought about what he had done and found out that he had absolutely no regrets. At first when he met Antonio he had thought that he liked the Spaniard because he reminded him of Al. But now he realized that it was the other way around.

'I just can't leave an idiot like you alone, can I?' The thought brought a softer smile to the Brit's face and he turned towards his friend.

"You know I really did miss you back then."

"Really?" the Spaniard finally stopped his rambling. "And why's that?" A playful grin appeared on Toni's lips as he expected to hear something good about himself.

"Because I feel smarter when I'm around you…"

* * *

><p>A loud yawn was heard at the back of the van where the sleepy albino was just starting to awaken.<p>

"Aw man! That was an awesome nap. Are you guys done with-…Guys? …Artie?...Toni? Where the fuck are you guys!... Scheiße! I hope they haven't locked the doors!... Gottverdammt! Guuuuuuys!..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Don't know bout you but I think that's the best ending yet xDDD**

**I'm sorry about the eventlessness (lol I just made up that word) of this chapter but I felt like I needed to improve the bond between Artie and Toni. :D Btw America's introduction may have been lame and short and he won't appear anymore but I had to add him since he'll play a very important role in the sequel of this which if everything goes well will be even more exciting than The Big Hit! **

**Translations:  
><strong>

**¡Dios mío - Oh my god**

**Scheiße - Shit**

**Gottverdammt - God damn it  
><strong>

**So please review! Any critique is welcome since I really hope to improve my writing! **

**Once again thanks to those who already faved, alerted (once again made up word :D) and reviewed! **

**(oh and btw I'm trying my best to update my other stories! I haven't dumped them or anything if you think so)**

**Miri-chan out!~**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm back! I'm not dead! And most importantly – I FINISHED MY EXAMS! Well not all of them (still have three more) but those aren't nearly as important as the first two :D. Anyways I think I did well and I'm back in the game! xD To be honest I had a major writer's block but that's already cleared and the plot bunnies are already ****gnaw****ing at my brain so expect a lot of updates! **

**I'm really SORRY for being..well…**_**gone**_** for so long and I guess it's about time I leave you read the next chapter (I'll tease you by saying that there'll be a little bit of fanservice in the end~)**

**Thank you my beloved readers and reviewers! You make my world a better place! \(TTATT)/**

**Disclaimer: Hetalia=not mine (unfortunately…TT^TT)**

**Oh and a quick note to those of you who are interested in my story "A Demonic Game of Cat and Mouse" – good news guys! I won't leave it as a one-shot ^w^ I'll be adding two (or maybe even more) chapters! **

**_Happy 10th chapter everybody! \(^o^)/_  
><strong>

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><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter 10_

The door of the shop opened and the blond once again found himself under the bright afternoon sun. As a breeze of chilly air gently caressed his face he stopped in order to take a deep breath filling his lungs with the smell of early rain, the scent of his home – Britain. The rain might be repulsive to most people but to this Englishman it was nothing but calming and nostalgic. He took one last breath and a look at the sky as if knowing that the weather wasn't going to wait for him to admire it. He was in London after all. Then the young man continued on his way in unusually high spirits. He opened his bag to check whether he had everything he needed and smirked to himself. 'Arthur Kirkland you are a criminal mastermind.' He thought as he examined the items there. Little did he know that the shadow right around the corner didn't leave him for a moment until he disappeared into a tall building.

Arthur approached his apartment and just as he was fishing for his key a rather unpleasant sound hit his ears. Moments later he discovered that that same sound was coming from the direction of his apartment and that it was starting to remind him of a very familiar loud scratchy voice. With a sigh of frustration he unlocked the door not really wanting to know what was waiting for him beyond it. What he found was a rather desperate looking Antonio sitting on the couch. And guess what – the annoying sound seemed to be singing or at least an attempt at singing coming from the kitchen. Arthur didn't really want to ask but the question automatically slipped out of his mouth.

"Antonio, what did you do?"

The brunette looked up and fiddled with his fingers before replying.

"Well you know you were out for a while and I let him have a drink."

"A drink?" Arthur raised an impressive brow "or drinkS?"

"Okay maybe two…"

Just then a loud crash was heard from the kitchen and the singing got louder.

"_I am a Prussian, know ye my colours?__  
><em>_the flag floats black and white before me;__  
><em>_that for freedom's sake my fathers died,__  
><em>_to that, know it, hint my colours.__  
><em>_Never will I trembling quail,__  
><em>_as them will I dare.__  
><em>_Be it a rainy day, be it cheerful sunshine,__  
><em>_I am a Prussian, want nothing to be but a Prussia__n!..."_

"…okay maybe more than two…"

"It's enough if you ask me…Is that Prussia's national anthem? Seriously?" Arthur rolled his eyes.

"_Ich bin ein Preuße, kennt ihr meine Farben?__  
><em>_Die Fahne schwebt mir weiß und schwarz voran;__  
><em>_daß für die Freiheit meine Väter starben,__  
><em>_das deuten, merkt es, meine Farben an.__  
><em>_Wie werd ich bang verzagen,__  
><em>_wie jene will ich's wagen__  
><em>_ sei's trüber Tag, sei's heitrer Sonnenschein,__  
><em>_ich bin ein Preuße, will ein Preuße sein…__"_

"Oh. He knows it in German too." Antonio remarked nonchalantly.

"You don't say…"

"_Be it a rainy day, be it cheerful sunshine,__  
><em>_I am a Prussian, want nothing to be but a Prussia__n!"_

* * *

><p>Arthur put the small shopping bag on the table and carefully took out its contents one by one. Sure taming a drunk Gilbert was a lot of 'fun' but the blond still hadn't forgotten the reason they were in London and it was about time he got to business. Just as Arthur was about to proceed with his genius plan Antonio entered the bedroom and curiously strode to the small table where his partner was 'working'.<p>

"So you're working on this plan of yours? You never really told me what it was about."

Arthur shrugged and Toni continued.

"Mind explaining? You seemed quite enthusiastic about it. Let's see what we have here…"

Most of the stuff on the table were things Antonio had seen many times. There were many types of sedatives – some of them powders, others liquid. Although the bottles didn't have labels they all had a small black 'X' that as Antonio already knew indicated that it was strong stuff. That was no surprise. Arthur always preferred high quality when they were dealing with more troublesome targets. And this time there was no place for mistakes. At least they had a reliable supplier who just happened to be one of Antonio's many friends. He was an Italian working with the mafia or something.

There were some clothes in the bag probably ones that matched Francis' conditions and there were a few other bottles and small mixers and…wait…was that…lip gloss?

Antonio immediately threw his friend a disturbed and worried look that Arthur knew the reason for.

"Don't worry old chap," The blond reassured. "I haven't gone mental or anything. This," he continued as he picked up the small object of Antonio's interest. "Is our key to the frog's safe."

Antonio's eyes widened almost comically. He was seriously starting to consider his friend's sanity. Arthur flinched when he thought of how many problems the small thing had given him and was still giving him. It was embarrassing enough that he had to enter that damned shop but the shopkeeper actually started asking him about his purchase. Arthur lied that it was for his girlfriend but then the woman wanted to know what the girl was like so he ended up making up a thorough description of his nonexistent girlfriend (who just happened to be dark-haired, green-eyed and Spanish by the way, good lord knows why, don't ask Arthur).

What snapped Arthur out of his thoughts was the third person walking into the room casually holding a can of beer in his hand much to the other two's displeasure.

"Hey dudes what the hell happened in the kitchen? I mean did a hurricane like pass through or-…why are you holding make up?"

Arthur decided to just ignore the first question as much as it annoyed him and decided to reply to the second one instead since things were starting to get awkward.

"Just shut up and let me explain!" The blond put down the lip gloss and the other two exchanged confused looks.

"So let's try and imagine how things will turn out. First I go to Francis' house, he finds nothing suspicious on me and lets me in. Then what happens?"

"…Erm…he takes you to his room?" Antonio guessed a bit unsurely.

"Good. Then?"

"He tries to do…stuff..."

"Ok, and? Details people, details." Arthur urged.

"What do you mean by that? You know – stuff!" The Spaniard really didn't like where this conversation was heading. Arthur wasn't planning to let Francis do any of those things to him, was he?

"…like k-kissing a-and…" Toni was stuttering now.

"Aha! Exactly." The Brit interrupted snapping his fingers at the word kissing. "So imagine that he's kissing me on the lips," now Antonio was frowning. "What will be on them?"

It took the two listeners some time to process the question but they got the hint when Arthur slightly touched the bottle with lip gloss on the table.

"Lip gloss?" Gilbert finally joined the conversation.

Arthur nodded.

"But not only." Then the blond proceeded to do a small presentation. He took out some of the cheap glossy makeup and put it in one of the containers he had bought. Then he poured some of the liquid sedative careful not to add too much and mixed the two together. By that time Antonio had finally figured out his partner's intentions.

"You want to make him take the sedative along with the lip gloss! From your lips!" The Spaniard exclaimed and Gilbert ooooh-ed as a sign that he understood too.

"Correct!" Arthur smirked in admiration of his plan. "Took you long enough Einsteins! The plan is flawless. I figured that he'd be weary if I had anything on me but he won't suspect a thing if the sedative was a part of me. All I have to do is make sure he takes it and that I don't swallow it accidentally."

Arthur got back to his work and turned his back towards the other two not seeing Antonio's displeased expression.

"But still! You have to _kiss_ him for that. Don't you find that…_wrong_?"

"Oh please Toni! You're over exaggerating. As long as it's a billion dollar kiss I'd let even Francis do it!" Arthur shrugged it off quickly.

"Yeah but then you'll have to brush your mouth ten times a day to wash the frog outta your mouth." Gilbert laughed loudly. He was obviously not as concerned as his Spanish partner.

"Tell me about it…"

* * *

><p>That evening nobody stopped Gilbert from occupying the bedroom. Arthur locked himself in the kitchen and didn't come out the whole night. Occasionally the clanking of bottles and curses could be heard from the inside but other than that nothing indicated what he was doing. He was trying to create the perfect mixture of lip gloss and sedative that was strong enough to put a grown man to sleep for seconds and still be the right consistency. He mixed powders and liquids but it always seemed to be either too weak or too runny or too thick. Then it was back to the beginning. But Arthur was definitely persistent and he was prepared for this. His experience of a chemist told him that he couldn't just mix two things together and let it be.<p>

He wasn't the only one awake though. Antonio was also up. He was sitting on the couch lazily flipping through the channels of the plasma TV. It's not like he couldn't sleep. There was nothing stopping him. But he just felt like he didn't want to leave Arthur alone in this. The blond was already doing most of the job. The Spaniard knew that Arthur was probably unaware of his support and would most likely never know but Antonio wasn't doing this for the sake of his friend's gratefulness. He just felt that this was the least he could do. And there was also one thing he couldn't get off his mind…Something was tugging him on the inside when he thought of Francis kissing Arthur…but why was he so frustrated when Arthur wasn't?...Yup. No sleep for Antonio tonight…

* * *

><p>"I did it!" Arthur charged into the living room happily waving around a bottle with something glittering in it in his hand. He was so satisfied with his work that he shoved it in Antonio's face with a look of pure pride on his face. A bit startled at first Antonio had to squint his sleep deprived eyes to distinguish the object of his friend's happiness. When he did he couldn't help but smile as he saw Arthur's overjoyed grinning face whose owner was obviously expecting to be praised.<p>

"And it only took you a whole night to do it." The Spaniard returned Arthur's smile instead of a good morning and gently pushed the bottle away from his face.

"Hey! I didn't get a wink of sleep in order to get the consistency right!" Arthur pouted.

Antonio knew his friend was a perfectionist but always wondered how Arthur actually managed to make everything perfect (well except his cooking but that's a painful topic so let's just forget about it).

"Well you're not the only one." Antonio blurted as he stretched and yawned. 'Oh shit!' he thought immediately after that. 'I shouldn't be bothering him with my problems.'

"Excuse me?" Arthur seemed confused. Instead of an answer Toni bit his lip.

"It's nothin'. Forget about it." However Arthur had already noticed the dark circles under his friend's eyes (he pretty much had the same problem) and his curiosity was already starting to bug him.

"You haven't slept, have you?"

The Spaniard cursed his partner's observing skills…though it was mostly his slip up's fault.

"Why?"

"Hey, hey, don't get all motherly on me!" Antonio raised his hands in defense when he saw Arthur's gaze intensify.

"I just…had some things on my mind."

"Tell me." Was Arthur's simple reply. "It's not like we're strangers or anything."

The brunette was a bit taken aback but after considering it for a while he realized that they never kept any secrets from each other and this shouldn't be an exception right?

"Well I'm actually a bit disturbed by what you said yesterday."

"Which part exactly?"

"The one about the kissing…I mean are you really okay with that?"

"Hmmmm…" Arthur looked towards the ceiling in thought. "To tell you the truth when I first got this idea I was truly grossed out by my own thoughts." The blond's gaze turned back to his friend. "But after I gave it some more thought I was like 'what's the big deal?'It's not like it'll be anything serious – no tongue of course! Just like this."

Then out of the blue Arthur straightened up to be almost at Antonio's level and against all the Spaniard's expectations leaned closer and gave the brunette a peck on the cheek. Toni immediately turned as red as the tomatoes he loved so much and his jaw felt like it was going to detach any moment now. Luckily Arthur didn't see that since he turned around and headed to the kitchen.

"I'll make some breakfast. You must be hungry." He then yelled from there as if nothing had happened.

Antonio put his head in his hand trying to calm his blush. He knew that it was going to take him at least a few more sleepless nights to figure this out. Either Arthur was a professional at teasing him or was simply the most oblivious being in the world. Antonio couldn't think of anything. In fact right now he wasn't sure if he could think at all. At least he had the prudence to react to his friend's last words.

"Arthur, please. Anything but food…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok I'm really unsure whether that last part was done very well but then again that's for you guys to decide :D**

**Now I wonder who their supplier might be...;D  
><strong>

**Oh by the way I wanted to tell you that I'm cluless when it comes to commas so pls ignore it if i'm missing them or using them randomly :/ seriously I'm absolutely clueless about them...  
><strong>

**I got the lyrics to the Prussian anthem from Wikipedia so if there's anything wrong...blame it on Wikipedia xDD  
><strong>

****PLS review! (I'm a review addict sorry ^^') Any idea or critique is welcome. I still see myself as a rookie and your advice is gold. ****

**Ps I hope my English is not that bad :D You can correct me anytime. ^^**

**See ya next time(chapter)~**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: O_O…This is the longest chapter I have EVER written xDDD. Originally I was planning to divide it into two parts but then it would be kind of meaningless (and I know how frustrating my cliffhangers can be xD).**

**So let's cut to the chase:**

**Sorry for the late update Dx but it's summer vacation now so that won't happen again!**

**Once again thanks for all your support (reviews, favs, alerts…) *bows***

**This can be viewed as the first part of the culmination of this story (I think…:/)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia (I'm being serious this time to put you in the mood :D)**

* * *

><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter11_

The night was pleasant and quiet. On first sight everything seemed normal - just the usual scene only covered by the night's veil of darkness as it was appropriate for this hour. To a weak soul the darkness, which was now at its full might since the moon was nowhere to be seen, hidden behind scattered clouds, this landscape was mysterious and utterly frightening. To the normal sensible person darkness was nothing but a hindrance. However it did cover something that could not be caught by an inexperienced eye. Three figures lurking in the bushes. One would deduce by their behavior that they were criminals, thieves…and he would be correct.

The group consisting of Antonio, Gilbert and Arthur was excitedly debating in low whispers, merging with the rustling of tree leaves, making the sound almost impossible for an outsider to hear. A brief moment of silence took over as the discussion came to an end. As if on cue the moon popped out from behind another cloud and let the boys exchange one last encouraging look.

"Well then fellows, now that everything's sorted out I guess it's about time to get to business." Arthur's smooth voice announced without loosing its calm, without showing his nervousness. "I'm counting on you to be at your assigned positions when I get there and well…good luck I guess."

"Ksesesese. We'll need it!"

"That wasn't really reassuring mi amigo…"

"Oh bloody hell luck be damned! I'll get that money even if Satan gets in my way!"

'Here we go again…' the other two thought simultaneously.

"Wait, Arturo!" The Spaniard called just as Arthur turned and started walking away. The blond twitched.

"For the umpteenth time Antonio, stop butchering my name with your ridiculous lang-"Arthur's lecture was interrupted by a strong warm…hug? Instantly the Brit felt his cheeks heat up at the affectionate touch. This was obviously something he wasn't used to and much less expected.

Just as he was about to open his mouth in protest his lips tugged into a smile he didn't know he was suppressing. Antonio also relaxed as he felt thin arms wrap around his waist returning the gesture even though he expected rejection.

"I know you said you won't need it but still…May luck and god be with you." The brunette murmured and tightened his grip on the small frame of his partner.

"Aw shucks! God's looking after the queen. I'm on my own." The Brit patted his friend and a thought crept in his mind 'It seems I'm not entirely alone though…'

"Dawwwwww~ That was so sweet! So when's my turn?"

Gilbert sure didn't like to be left out. The two friends broke the hug rather reluctantly. Arthur enjoyed the warmth and support of his friend and it felt like they melted all his worries away. But the blond soon found that he had left one embrace only to be swept up by another. Gilbert gave him a few spins before stopping for Arthur to see his usual grin.

"The awesome me believes in you limey! Your Englishness can totally kick Franny's ass back to poverty!" The albino added with a wink. Arthur couldn't help but chuckle and he really wanted to let the 'hug' slide but there was something bothering him for a while.

"That was really sweet, love." The blond smiled seemingly innocently. "But I would appreciate it if you remove your hands from their current spot. I think they're a little bit more below waist than I'm comfortable with."

To put it bluntly for those who still don't get it Gilbert's hands were on Arthur's…behind. In normal circumstances that wouldn't have gone so bloodlessly.

* * *

><p>Arthur inhaled deeply to compose himself and carefully brought his hand to his lips to check whether the most important part of the plan was there. Finally he took the first step from behind the corner and began his journey towards Francis' house. It was further down the street so the blond had time to think about his situation. One thing was for sure: he was alone. Well there was Gilbert nearby but once Arthur was inside the house, even Gilbert wouldn't be there to help him. This time the Brit didn't stop his trail of thoughts as it drifted towards Antonio. He was always there but today was an exception. Arthur didn't deny his nervousness because of that fact. He had never realized it before but Antonio's presence calmed him. Antonio was someone he could trust but even his best friend couldn't offer him a hand if something went wrong. Their plan was for the Spaniard to wait for them at the apartment and be ready for their escape. That way at least one person would be safe if the others failed.<p>

_flashback:_

_The music in the large underground clubroom was stopped and the air was filled with not only cigarette smoke but also quiet chatter and whispers. News had come from outside that someone had messed up but nobody knew what had really happened or what was to come. Suddenly someone shouted._

"_Everybody out! The cops are here!"_

_The mass of young people plunged at the door, each one only caring to save his own skin. Parties in illegal clubs like this one were of course equal to a crime but they were just so many and uncontrollable that the police had long given up on hunting them down. For the cops to have come here it must mean that something more major has happened. _

_Those places were quite popular as you might guess. The reason was probably the thrill they provided for young people. That or it was simply the cheap alcohol and weed that other bars didn't have. That night the place was full to the brim but the police had also come prepared. Patrol cars surrounded the building and the running teens were quickly caught like fish in a net. Not all of them but most. It wasn't like the ones caught were unlucky. Rather it was the ones that escaped that were extremely lucky. _

"_If I have the right to remain silent then I have the bloody right to speak as well!" A young blond man around his eighteens wearing ripped black jeans and a stylish red button-down shirt was shouting amongst the havoc as he was being pressed to the hood of a police car._

_When things calmed down a bit all of the arrested - mostly teens, were taken to different police stations seeing as one wouldn't fit them all. The blond from before was being escorted to his cell for the night and he was making sure to take all of his displeasure out on the uniformed men besides him._

"_I'm telling you, you have no right to treat me this way! Are you bloody deaf? I have no fault in this incident and thus demand to be released immediately!" One of the policemen rolled his eyes as he fiddled with his keys and unlocked the cell for their 'nice' new guest. The other took off the blond's handcuffs, jogged him inside the cell and the sound of locking followed shortly._

_The young man wasted no time in resuming his protests._

"_Didn't you hear me? I'm innocent! I won't pay for some drunk bloke's foolishness! Get me out of here!"_

"_Si, mi amigo. We all said that."_

_The second voice surprised the blond as he hadn't noticed he had a companion before. He quickly turned around to face another teen about his age with dark brown hair and tanned skin sitting on one of the benches in the cell and eyeing him calmly with a tiny smile stretching his lips. Shortly after studying his cellmate for a while Arthur finally decided it was no use shouting to those long gone bloody policemen and instead focused on the man in front of him. _

"_Are you also from the party?" Arthur enquired in a rather rushed and annoyed tone._

"_Si. Just like you I'm guessing."_

"_And you have no reason to be here right?"_

"_Si. And to think that I was just there to bring my friend Martin some cigarettes he asked for. Who would have guessed I'd end up here instead?" The obviously Spanish boy chuckled and scratched his head._

_Arthur finally relaxed a bit and took a seat on the bench opposite his companion. _

"_Humph! Those bloody idiots can't do their job properly. They can't even distinguish the guilty from the innocent."_

"_Well you have to admit we're not entirely innocent since we were at a place like that, are we?" The young man grinned and outstretched a hand. "Antonio, by the way."_

_Arthur took the other's hand with a slight huff. He was still venting some pressure but his cellmate seemed decent. _

"_Arthur."_

"_Fernandez Carriedo." The other quickly added. Arthur couldn't help but smirk this time._

"_Kirkland…"_

_end of flashback_

Arthur had to save his memories for later as he reached the gate surrounding the French's mansion. Two guards were waiting for him at the entrance as agreed. Arthur introduced himself quickly and the men exchanged a nod before leading the blond in. They walked down a broad alleyway leading to some stone steps and a large old-styled oak door. Not much of the building itself was visible as the darkness made it almost impossible and the place was poorly lit but from what could be seen it was obvious that the house belonged to someone who was not afraid of spending money on it. Lots of money that is.

As they crossed the enormous yard there was someone who was observing them all the time even though they hadn't seen him at all. From the bushes two ruby red eyes followed Arthur on his way to the door. One of the men escorting the blond moved ahead of the other two to stop at the doorway and lean closer delivering a few quick nocks to the door, the knocks following a certain pattern. The code was apparently accepted as the large door opened with a soft creaking sound. Light flooded the pathway crossing the yard and the two men hauled the much smaller blond inside since he seemed to hesitate for a moment. After that the light disappeared as the door shut with a quiet click and the garden once again fell tranquil.

Gilbert slackend his tense shoulders, a quiet breath escaping his mouth. He leaned against a nearby tree and let his guard down for a second.

"This is it Artie." He mumbled to himself. "You're on your own now." A concerned look at the lit windows of the house. "Just don't mess up…"

* * *

><p>The albino spent a few more moments without moving until he decided it was finally time to make his move. He rose slowly and soundlessly from the ground never detaching himself from the large tree that provided him with cover. His black clad body merged with his surroundings the only exception being his pale skin and platinum hair that he never bothered to cover. He simply didn't need to as it never got in the way of his work. But even now it gleamed slightly as stray beams of light from the house hit the surface of a lock.<p>

Gilbert moved with the agility and discretion of a cat, successfully avoiding any sound source. He shot from bush to bush remaining invisible for all around him and doing it with ease that could match only that of a professional. And of course he was relying on the years of experience behind his back that proved to be more than useful in this situation.

Stalking. That was his next task. His whole job was to dispose of any guards that might get in Arthur's way when/if he climbed down from the window. The albino approached his first victim fluently and at the first chance he got, sprung off the ground and covered the guard's mouth with one hand, immobilizing him with only the other. The guard struggled furiously for a few moments but as the hand depriving him of speech tightened around his neck it was only a matter of seconds before the muffled sounds ceased and he became limp in the German's arms. Gilbert had no time to rest as the other guard who had already seen what happened to his partner charged at the intruder. The albino evaded his attacks swiftly and easily circled around the other's back where he delivered a few paralyzing blows all the while making sure the thuds from his attacks weren't loud enough to attract any more attention. The blows had such flawless accuracy that the victim immediately fell to the ground with a quiet whimper. All Gilbert had to do now was to deliver the final blow to the nape of the guard sending the man straight to unconsciousness.

As expected the racket couldn't be avoided and soon more enemies were coming to the scene. The albino got rid of them as quickly using the same method as on the second one. It wasn't long before he moved on leaving a trail of bodies behind him.

* * *

><p>The first thing Arthur had to do after being shoved inside was to take in his surroundings. He wasted no time, as it was limited, in doing so, remembering every single detail. All was crucial. According to the plan his escape had to be through the window on the second floor where careful research had shown Francis' room was. However having a plan B was a must. Everything that could provide a distraction or a weapon against possible chasers and every possible hiding spot was welcome.<p>

After scanning the large hall he was in, Arthur had to admit the place was quite exquisite. In fact it looked like one of those fancy castles from the Disney movies. The ceiling was high and a large crystal chandelier was hanging from it. It wasn't the only thing that lit the gigantic room though. Many small lamps in floral shapes and also crystal adorned the walls which were draped in beige wallpaper with golden baroque ornaments. The warm bright colors of the walls multiplied the light making the room seem brighter and broader. The many French windows were outlined by beautiful blood red silk curtains held aside by golden ropes with tufts at the ends. The curtains fell all the way to the floor and also matched in color the two plush sofas on each side of the hall. There were also a few low wooden tables with expensive looking vases and sculptures. The only thing that caught Arthur's attention were the blooming roses in each vase that like the curtains and sofas were a rich shade of red. The spectacular image of the room was completed by a massive double staircase with wooden railing carved in beautiful floral shapes. Each staircase was covered in a red carpet that ended at the last step leaving the tiled floor bare. All in all the room had an old-styled Victorian interior that was a bit cliché but still quite pleasing to the eye.

There was something that bothered Arthur though. There weren't many objects if not any that he could use for defense and the only possible places where he could hide were the two doors that led to other rooms but the blond could only guess what was waiting for him there.

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice coming from above. Looking at the direction of the sound, Arthur's eyes met the gaze of none other than Francis Bonnefoy currently leaning on the railing at the top of the stairs with a sly smirk stretching his lips.

"Bienvenue, mon ange. I presume you like what you see, non?" Without waiting for a reply the Frenchman began descending the stairs elegantly with his hair swaying slightly with every step.

Arthur took this opportunity to examine the way he was dressed from head to toe. Francis had chosen an ultramarine silk dress shirt buttoned up to just below his collarbones, white jeans making him look more casual and white brogues. His hair was tied back with a ribbon the same color as his shirt leaving only two wavy locks to frame his face. The colors he was wearing seemed to strongly contrast with his gold and red surroundings.

The Frenchman's azure eyes lit up with something that could only be described as excitement as they fell on his guest.

"It's a lovely place you've got." Arthur smiled and he wasn't actually lying this time.

"Ah! And this is only the foyer mon cherie. There's much more to see." The taller blond beamed.

Francis crossed the distance from the stairs to the door in hurried strides. As he did so the heels of his shoes clanked loudly against the tiled floor and the sound echoed throughout the room. It all happened in a matter of seconds but to Arthur it seemed like ages. He cursed his nervousness. It appeared at the worst possible time. Maybe it was better for him to be nervous before missions so he could be calm when carrying them out? Heck if he doesn't screw up now there won't be a need for any more missions!

The taller blond stopped in front of his guest and also eyed his companion carefully. Arthur wasn't nearly as dressy as Francis but at least his clothes fitted the Frenchman's demands, which were: no baggy clothes where a weapon could be hidden, they should be preferably skinny with only a few pockets (empty of course), no laces, belts or chains with which Francis could be strangled, no gloves or scarves, low heeled shoes, if possible not boots, no glasses and no other accessories whatsoever.

Arthur was currently wearing a simple white long-sleeved shirt, skinny faded blue jeans (that in Arthur's opinion were a bit too skinny but in Francis's - just fine), a red cardigan and red sneakers. Francis gave a small approving sound and continued their conversation.

"Well, Arthur my friend, I know it is rude to keep you standing here and I would love to invite you upstairs instead but I still have to make sure that that would be safe for me. I hope you don't mind?"

"Humph. We already agreed to that. Why do you even bother asking?" The Brit snorted. The one thing he liked about not being Liam was that he could be himself, at least some of the time.

Francis nodded with a smile and gave the two guards from before a sign with his hand. The men, who were by now just standing still like statues, neared Arthur and started searching him thoroughly. Just as they reached the blond's waist and were about to go lower, Francis stopped them.

"Ah, ah! Attendez un moment! Let me take care of that, gentlemen."

'Oh great' Arthur thought. 'As if I wasn't uncomfortable enough...' The guards stepped aside and Francis took his dear time in checking the Brit's pockets and feeling for any bumps that could be concealed weapons. Arthur's brows twitched testily at the contact and what was worse he could have sworn he saw the Frenchman smirking.

"Everything's all right down there." Francis grinned as he straightened up. Arthur had to bite his lip to stop himself from lunging at the frog. "Well then, my dear," Before Arthur could react, Francis took the smaller blond's hand and planted a feathery kiss on his knuckles. "Shall we go upstairs?"

Instead of blushing Arthur felt the blood leave his face. He just hoped that that wouldn't give him away and numbly followed Francis as he led him towards the stairs. Before they went up a man came from out of nowhere and whispered something in the Frenchman's ear. After a few understanding nods Francis smiled at the man.

"Got that. Thank you ,Sadiq, you're dismissed now." Arthur paid no attention to the conversation. If he did, though, he would have noticed that the man looked slightly familiar. He felt his hand being tugged again and continued his journey to the stairs.

If Arthur had a thousand butterflies in his stomach before, they were at least a billion right now…

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><p><strong>AN: Ok, lame ending I know xDD And, yes, Sadiq is Turkey. Those who guess where he appeared before get a cookie. **

**PLS review! You can tell me what you think of long chapters and whether those long descriptions that I started writing bore you. ^^**

**Attendez un moment - Wait a moment (Google translator :/)  
><strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Warning: suspense, suspense, suspense~ xDD I sound oddly cheerful writing that, don't I? xD**

**Thank you my AWESOME readers! X3 I wouldn't have gotten so far without your support! TT^TT *hugs* I put a lot of effort in this one so I hope u like it ^^**

**So time to get serious .**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. **

* * *

><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter 12_

'One, two, three…oh, god…five, six, seven…holy shit… nine, ten…'

To describe Arthur at that moment we would need the letter D: disoriented, disturbed, disappointed (in himself), desperate. He was so desperate to get rid of that telltale nervousness, which was completely unfamiliar to him, that he was counting the steps of the stairs possibly leading to his debacle.

The blond let out a soundless gasp when he suddenly realized there were no more steps to count. He then noticed that Francis was blabbering on about who knows what (and had been doing so for quite some time now) and was most likely talking to Arthur seeing as there was no one else to converse with. The guards had left the house providing the couple with privacy that usually Arthur would be grateful for. No guards = no witnesses, after all. Luckily Francis hadn't taken the trouble of looking at his guest and was convinced that Arthur was still listening to him.

"…in the end I went with Victorian, I mean, classic is classic. And it definitely suited the exterior of the house more, don't you say?"

Arthur's reaction to the question was immediate. Within moments the mask was on and the script revised.

"I can't agree more." Arthur grinned quite pleasantly surprised at how calm his voice was. 'No going back now, Arthur old boy. Time to man up before you blow it.' Those thoughts finally numbed out the unpleasant tickly feeling in Arthur's stomach and replaced it with a bit of his previous confidence. Note _a bit_. And for a moment that bit almost seemed in vain as Arthur saw a suspicious gleam in Francis' eyes.

"What's the matter, mon cher? Usually you'd be much more talkative, non? There's nothing wrong, is there?" Francis inquired with a barely audible mocking tone in his voice all the while wearing that smug smile of his that said 'Ha, ha. I got you.~'

Instead of daunting the Englishman, Francis' words had the opposite effect on him. They aggravated him, annoyed him and ended up fueling his determination to turn the frog's life into living hell.

"Oh, no! Not at all. I guess I just lost myself in observing the place." Arthur put up such a sugary smile that even Francis would be jealous. "It's certainly beyond anything I expected. Simply gorgeous." The blond cooed _professionally _mind you.

"Ah, I see." Francis shrugged it off and went on his way. Of course no matter how good Arthur's acting skills were the Frenchman had noticed the blond's stir long ago. It would have been fun to use the moment of inattention to say something utterly ridiculous or illogical and then watch the Brit obliviously agree with it afterwards, but Francis was feeling generous tonight.

As they moved on, this time in silence, Arthur took the opportunity to calm his nerves (that oversugariness back then was definitely unnecessary) and in the mean time take a look around.

The second floor was entirely different from the foyer but still had the old times feeling to it. The carpet was a bright navy blue color with a golden Greek key pattern sewn on the edges. The walls were pure white with Roman style carved motifs and Ionic and Corinthian style built in columns that delimited separate areas on the wall. Each area contained a piece of art – mostly paintings but also sculptures. Arthur could recognize many of the paintings, therefore they had to be duplicates and quite well made ones he had to admit. He could judge since he was quite knowledgeable in the field of art and apparently so was Francis, who obviously had appreciation for classics of all kinds. The Brit shivered as he remembered how he had acquired his knowledge.

You see, the Kirkland family was quite rigorous in matter of their children's education, especially when it came to general knowledge. As a family of high status and many business relations the members' education and impression were crucial. To put it bluntly Arthur's education and upbringing were simply hell. His parents, although neglectful of him, always had their requirements and the poor child was constantly trying to meet their numerous expectations, usually too high for his age. Arthur was the youngest child and was under no circumstances allowed to fall behind his brothers.

Arthur couldn't help but smile bitterly at the memories. He was both terrified of them and glad it was all gone. Looking back now, it had all been pointless of course; he wondered why he had even bothered. In reality it had been partly because of the threats and occasional slaps that followed after each failure, and mostly because of the faint hope that maybe if he answered his parents' criteria they would love him. However that was just a childish deception.

Suddenly Arthur noticed that they were walking quite slowly. Sparing a glance at Francis, he discovered that the man was actually taking his time in observing the paintings. He obviously cherished them a lot. Arthur wondered whether he and Francis would have gotten along if it wasn't for the man's flirtatious nature and…well...'Frenchness' at all. The blond chuckled quietly when he noticed how Francis' attire matched perfectly with the range of colors of their surroundings.

After a relatively long pause in front of a marvelous copy of the painting _**Liberty Leading**__** the People**_ Francis finally broke the heavy silence between the two.

"Well then, mon ami, since we're here would you like to continue the tour or would you prefer to cut to the chase?" Francis said in a quiet distant tone, completely different from before. The painting seemed to have an odd, calming effect on him.

Arthur loved the house so far but still kept his eyes on the prize.

"I'm sort of in a hurry." The blond replied curtly, still baffled by the Frenchman's drastic change of nature. It was gone in a flash though.

"Ah, I see. This way then." And now the frog was back to being a frog as Arthur would put it. Trademark smirk, cocky attitude, flirtatious hints in every action, factitious politeness and that sweetish sarcasm in his voice…take back everything Arthur said about getting along. He will NEVER stand the frog. Not in this or any other universe for that matter. Even in hell where they're both most likely going.

Francis led his guest further down the hallway and stopped in front of a door that the Englishman hadn't realized was there, it being white and almost merging with the background. The Frenchman led his guest inside, explaining that the room was his personal study.

Unknown to his companion, Arthur frowned at that. Why would Francis bring him here? It confused him even more when his eyes fell on a safe. Either the frog was making things easy for him or was extremely stupid. Both seemed unlikely and that's what made Arthur on edge. His stomach turned in distress when he heard something being locked. The blond turned franticly just in time to see Francis slip a key, obviously to the door, into his pocket and when emerald met sky blue, Arthur was greeted by a knowing smile which grated his nerves nearly to the limit. Francis had clearly seen where Arthur's gaze traveled and now a scary thought, that the Englishman had been trying to suppress for a long time, was starting to haunt Arthur's mind.

_He knows…_

Nevertheless he attempted to compose himself but was clearly failing as a comforting hand landed on his shoulder, making him flinch. He looked up at Francis' fake expression of worry.

"Mon ami, you're as pale as a ghost! Is it perhaps that…you haven't done this before?"

Arthur should have thanked Francis for that. The Frenchman probably didn't realise that he had just come up with a brilliant excuse for the Brit.

"Well…yes actually…I'm kinda nervous…"

The first part wasn't a lie. He hadn't done anything, Francis was planning to do to him, with a man. And he wasn't going to make an exception.

"No need for worries, ma cherie." Francis smiled. "Leave that to me."

The said man opened a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of expensive wine along with two glasses, which were soon filled and one of them handed to the guest. The Frenchman then began explaining something about security or whatsoever but his words barely reached Arthur whose eyes were on the taller blond but mind somewhere else. The Brit's knuckles were white from gripping the fabric of his clothes so tightly. This had never happened to him before. He felt like those blue eyes could bore into his very soul. Francis was the first man in years to make him feel so unstable, so vulnerable. It was those hints of cognizance that the Frenchman made and were the reason for everything.

Using Francis' moment of distraction Arthur as usually scanned his surroundings. This room was different from the others, mainly because it had a sort of homey feeling to it. Dark beige walls, white fluffy carpet and cherry wood furniture adding contrast to the scene. It was also a bit more modern than the other parts of the house so far. In addition to the many cupboards there was a fairly large desk with a sleek black laptop on top and a plush brown sofa. A French window took up most of the opposite to the door wall, the curtains pulled back much to Arthur's discomfort.

The emerald-eyed blond suddenly jumped a bit when he felt that warm hand again but this time on his cheek.

"Mon ami, you haven't touched your wine?" Even though that sounded like a question, when it slipped through Francis' smiling lips, no answer followed. Arthur opened his mouth but shut it quickly when he found no words to voice. Letting his hand play with a tuft of sandy blond hair, Francis leaned in closer and whispered into Arthur's ear.

"I believe that's enough 'dilly-dallying' for tonight…Shall we?"

Arthur was slightly taken aback by the abruptness but it was for the best. He wanted all of this to end already. And the sooner it began, the sooner he would be out of that cursed place.

He felt Francis push him lightly yet with enough force to get him out of balance. Arthur tripped backwards but was quickly relieved when he landed on something soft and comfortable. Unfortunately he was now trapped between the Frenchman and the sofa. The Brit checked his lips one last time to make sure everything was in place and regardless of his urge to push the man on top of him away, he just braced himself and waited. For a few moments nothing happened and Arthur dared to crack open one of his tightly shut eyes. Francis was obviously just teasing him with all that delaying. It wasn't for long though, as the Frenchman suddenly pinned the smaller blond's wrists above him with only one hand, using the other to fish something out of his pocket. Arthur panicked at the thought of a weapon but panic was replaced with confusion when he saw nothing but…a handkerchief?

'Why would he need tha-…Oh…oh, no…' His thoughts jumbled up in panic once again as he felt the soft fabric wipe his lips, ridding them of the sedative along with the lip gloss. He immediately tried to wriggle out of Francis' grasp but the Frenchman was stronger than he appeared and effectively managed to hold the Brit in place. With his desperation growing, Arthur's movements became more violent but were in the end rendered useless. All he could do now was glare at his captor with all the malice he could muster.

Francis replied with a sneer.

"Now, now, mon cher. Don't look at me like that. It makes my heart ache." He exaggerated putting his now free hand on his chest. The handkerchief had long since done its job. "And as to answer the question, that I am sure is bugging you greatly, yes, I knew. From the beginning. How? It was very simple is all I can say."

Arthur growled in response already gritting his teeth so much it hurt.

All of a sudden Francis' expression darkened, turning so cold that even Arthur's glare couldn't compare.

"But to tell you the truth you, _Arthur_, are the _simplest_ thing I have ever met." The name was said with such venom that the Englishman could feel his blood curdle.

"Or maybe I should call you Liam? A foul boy like yourself doesn't deserve such a nice name. Tell me what forced you to fall so low as to steal, with such methods no less? Well, I congratulate you for getting this far but let me assure you, ma cherie, you will _never _have the chance to do it again." The mocking smirk returned accompanied by a leer. "Though, I am sure we can tame that rotten personality, without damaging that pretty little face of yours."

Arthur yelped in utter shock when he felt lips crash onto his own in a harsh violent kiss. The boy struggled in vain, his mind racing and tears already welling up at the corners of his eyes.

Everything had gone horribly wrong.

He thirstily sought for air when the contact finally broke but gasped in surprise when he felt Francis trail more kisses and painful nips down his neck.

"Let me go!" Arthur screamed instinctively. He shut his eyes, letting the tears flow. There was no use in yelling. No one could save him now. His strength was slowly leaving his body, dark thoughts plaguing his jaded consciousness.

'_No!...'_

…

…

…

'_Antonio…'_

Then everything went black…

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><p><strong>AN: Hmm...I hope that last part wasn't too rushed :/...It sounds so cheesy now that I read it xDD  
><strong>

**Ok this is my first time writing a serious kiss! And I feel…really AWKWARD. (especially since I only recently began accepting yaoi) so didn't go into much detail…but I'm doing this just for YOU GUYS! **

**Pls review to tell me what u think! I hope the overdetailness isn't grating on your nerves :/ (last time promise xDD)**

**And about my other stories: I'm telling you they're NOT DEAD! :C I'm just having an epic fight with laziness these days and the extreme heat isn't really helpful…**

**And I think it's about time I apologize for any grammar or whatever other mistakes there are :D Here in Bulgaria the official language (and my mother tongue of course) is BULGARIAN (no kidding, go figure :DD) so I'm practically shooting in the dark. ^^'**

**(p.s. ultimate cliffhanger! :DDD)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Even as a writer I have no words to express how sorry for how late this chapter is…;_;…but I'm sure most of you know how it feels. Yes. Writer's block. Well…that aaaaaaand my AWESOMLY LONG VACATIOOOON! X333333 Yup! I was on vacation~ ^^ (and the internet was really *coughcrappycough*) I hope you like this…eeeerm…slightly uneventful chapter enough to forgive me ^^'..tehehhehe….**

**Just to say: I'm in love with all the people who faved, alerted and reviewed this story. Seriously. Marry me. xDDD Thanksies and cookies for you all. **

**Disclaimer: The awesomeness that is Hetalia belongs to the great Hidekaz Himaruya-sensei and not pitiful me TT^TT… **

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><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter 13_

He had to act fast. Nothing else mattered. As soon as Arthur realized he could move, which meant he wasn't neither dead nor unconscious, his mind went blank with the exception of only one purpose: out and away.

Being a quicker thinker Arthur wasted no time in responding to the loosened grip on his arms by freeing his already bruised wrists in one sharp motion and leaving the still baffled Frenchman empty-handed. The smaller blond hustled the other off him and darted blindly through the darkness and across the room in what he assumed was the direction of the window. In such circumstances he could at least rely on his photographic memory and mindfulness to inspect every room while on a mission.

Every second was valuable and Arthur struggled to catch his breath between ragged pants. All this excitement was getting the better of him. He felt like his heart was going to burst.

Francis was roughly pulled back to reality as he found himself on the ground as the result of an abrupt shove. It was his turn to think fast. He reached out instinctively, following the sound of footsteps and grabbed a handful of soft fabric.

What followed were three minutes of darkness blinded scuffling. Hair pulling, clothes tugging, stumbling and even biting on Arthur's side until Francis lost his grip again and then…

**Crash!**

Pure feeling of adrenaline numbed all pain that rushed through Arthur's body as hundreds of razor sharp glass shards pierced his skin. There was no time to feel pain anyways. The Englishman was perfectly aware that the window he'd just charged through was on the second floor. His brain produced the needed calculations with practiced ease. He landed not so gracefully due to the panic messing up his movements then stumbled and did a forward roll before he was able to regain his balance. When he did, the Brit shot up and made a bee line through the bushes and towards the exit.

Despite the rush he did make a mental note to congratulate Gilbert on a job well done while he leaped over a few unconscious guards' bodies.

Arthur vaulted over the front gate with the agility of a cat and instantly narrowed his eyes as the bright light from the street lamps flooded his eyes. After a short moment of disorientation, he ran. He didn't know where he was going yet he didn't really care. He paid even less attention to the fact that he was in the middle of the street. He should have looked back to see if someone was following him yet he didn't. Luckily the lack of footsteps other than his own told him that he wasn't being chased. Despite that he still ran. The night was deathly still and Arthur could hear his own frantic breathing and insanely rapid heartbeat. Even though he was sure that there was no need to run anymore, his legs carried him on their own as if his own body felt the urge to get as far away as possible from that dreadful place.

However everything has its limit and it wasn't long before fatigue began taking its toll on the Englishman and he finally slowed his pace to a stop. Moreover he needed to pull his thoughts together.

Looking up he fixed his gaze onto the clear sky above, speckled with millions of tiny stars. He needed his mind to be as clear as the sky but it was plagued with so many questions…almost as many as the stars. The puffs of air from his mouth became less frequent even though his breathing hadn't quite normalized yet. Everything was still as hazy as a dream.

Where had he messed up? Everything was going so well dammit!...Or was it? Just now was he starting to realize things that he hadn't paid any attention to before…Oh, god, all those hints…How could he be so stupid! Idiot! Idiot! IDIOT! ...But still. There was the question of how Francis knew about the lip gloss. The frog was surely not as smart as to figure it out on his own. Bullshit! Maybe he had a spy?..But, no. That's not enough. He was cautious enough for god's sake! There had to be something else…How did Francis know…or…or who told him?...Oh, lord.

Along with that last question a fishy little alarming thought crept amongst Arthur's already jumbled ones and he immediately felt the urge to get rid of it but…could it possibly be…

"Hey!" Arthur froze and all traces of that pesky assumption left his mind as he heard the muffled half-whisper.

"Artie?" this time the blond was able to determine where the voice was coming from and whipped his head towards the bunch of bushes on his left. "Artie, is that you?" A black clad figure rose from the bushes.

You can't imagine the relief Arthur felt when he spotted that familiar pair of ruby red eyes that were currently filled with…worry?

"Gilbert!" Arthur exclaimed, gladness obvious in his words. "Oh, thank god it's you!" he marched quickly over to the albino and they both crouched down in the safety of the bushes and out of sight.

Gilbert wasted no time in small talk.

"What the hell happened back there?" He eyed Arthur from head to toe and it was obvious he hadn't brought anything from Francis's. There were also some other things Gilbert had noticed. A half unbuttoned shirt which revealed some pretty nasty marks all the way down from the blond's jaw to his collarbones, bruised wrists and even swollen lips. Those were the things that worried Gilbert the most. All in all Arthur was quite disheveled and still recovering from the shock.

"Ugh! We screwed up! I-I mean I screwed up. You did your job perfectly. But he knew, Gilbert! H-he knew about the plan, t-the gloss, everything! He knew from the beginning! And I was such an idiot! I should have-"

"ARTHUR! Halt die Klappe und slow down a bit will ya!"

The startled blond stopped stuttering and just stared at his companion.

Gilbert sighed "Seriously, you're a total mess."

And that was true. The Brit had started of irritated but ended up sounding almost apologetic. And not to mention he shot words at such speed he barely had time to take a breath. Gilbert had a hard time keeping up with him.

"Now calm down and tell me what happened." The albino prompted.

Arthur took a deep breath. Gilbert was right. He could still feel his heart racing and sweat roll down his forehead.

"Francis somehow knew about our plan." Gilbert's eyes widened. Arthur went on. "He got rid of the sedative and I was trapped. If it wasn't for that blackout…bloody hell, I don't even want to imagine!" The albino went silent, his unnaturally colored eyes planted on the ground below. He looked thoughtful and it struck Arthur that he'd never seen his usually noisy friend like this before. It was…odd.

"Cheh! Verdammt!" The German snapped finally. "That French bastard really turned out a pain in the ass. Anyways are you ok? You look like shit." Arthur eyed Gilbert before replying. The German was still serious despite the way he talked.

"I'm fine." Arthur rolled his eyes. He wasn't used to people worrying about him and generally he didn't like it. "Can't say the same about my ego though." The blond groaned. "I didn't even touch the bastard's safe for god's sake! And it was _right there IN FRONT OF ME_. Damn it! I bet it was all part of the frog's plan!"

Then, looking at Gilbert, Arthur realized something.

"Oh! Don't get me wrong though! You'll get your payment like we promised. Not a dollar less. That reminds me, you haven't told me the name of your bank account. Do you have a sheet on you? And a pen for that matter. I don't think I'll be able to remember it in my current state." As he said that the blond began rummaging through his clothes, looking for the said items and clearly forgetting that he had nothing with him.

Gilbert sighed quietly and a small smile crept onto his lips as he watched the concentrated pouting expression on the Englishman's face.

"No need for that." He started calmly.

"Heeeeh…That's a weird name for a bank account." The still fumbling blond raised an impressive brow without sparing a glance at his companion. Gilbert nearly facepalmed.

"That's not what I meant, Dummkopf. What I meant is I don't need the money."

Arthur's head jolted upwards in surprise and he finally left his pockets alone.

"Wh-what?" he stammered out. "But you did your job perfectly! That's what we agreed on. There's no reason-"

"No! We agreed to divide the money once the mission was over. The mission failed. That means we all failed."

"But it was my faul-"

"_Everybody's_ fault." Gilbert corrected with his trademark smirk in place.

Arthur gaped at his friend. Since when was Gilbert so reliable? Arthur tried to come up with a good comeback but seeing his friend's smile made him soften. It wasn't like he was at a disadvantage. What Gilbert did was really thoughtful especially considering the albino's character. Arthur let himself smile at which Gilbert's grin widened even more.

"Thanks Gill." Was the only thing Arthur managed to say.

"Aw, shucks, Artie!" Gilbert inwardly cheered at his success. Getting Arthur touched, let alone smile, wasn't something many could do.

"So…what are you going to do now?"

Gilbert blinked at the question and let out one of his annoying laughs.

"Flee the crime scene of course! And chill dude! 'S not like I'm broke. Far from that. (You see, I'm too awesome for that.) With that fake passport the awesomeness that is me might as well go on a nice little awesome vacation. Need to give the world a share of my awesomeness. Ksesesesesese"

"Sure you do." Arthur rolled his eyes and chuckled. That was so like Gilbert.

"What about you?" The albino asked back.

"Hmm...I don't really know. For starters I guess I'll just go get my stuff from the apartment and then maybe look for Antonio. Or maybe look for him first, I'm not certain yet. And then it's out and away from England, that's for sure."

"Aha…I see. About that…I think I should give you a bit of advice…"

* * *

><p>Arthur was running again, but with a purpose this time. He was heading for their apartment building. He'd already gotten over the shock from the failure but this time something else was bugging his mind. Not only rush but also dread was making his heart speed. He was soaking in cold sweat and the chilly night air that turned into wind as he ran and tangled his short damp locks, sent cold shivers through his body. Arthur bitterly remembered that his coat was currently hanging somewhere in Francis's mansion and not warming his freezing body. But he'd be damned if he went back to the frog's place to take it back…and he'd be even more damned if he didn't have a cold the next day…<p>

However those thoughts paled in comparison to what was gnawing at his brain and also his heart. It was what Gilbert had said that confused Arthur so much.

* * *

><p>"<em>I think I should give you a bit of advice…"<em>

"_Well, fire away then." Arthur urged a bit unsurely, not liking how Gilbert became all serious again. The German was silent for a second in order to look straight into the other's emerald greens. _

"_That Antonio guy really seems like a nice kid," for some reason the German's eyes shifted towards the direction of Francis' mansion. "but don't put too much trust in him." At the end of the sentence he was once again looking at Arthur._

_Arthur was even more bewildered now. _

"_Wh-what do you mean by that?" He asked slowly, confusion evident in his voice._

"_I meant what I said." Was Gilbert's simple reply._

* * *

><p>Arthur really wanted to ignore Gilbert's warning-like advice but the thing is he himself had thought of something similar before meeting the albino. And that disturbed Arthur, a lot. He could shrug other people off but his own guts were hard to deny. That dull feeling of dread that he couldn't explain…Ugh! It was maddening.<p>

The Brit knew Gilbert well enough to admit that the man wasn't the type to joke in such situations, even though he looked like the type. Furthermore the German mercenary had a pretty good intuition.

However what worried Arthur most of all was that when he'd gone to the place where Antonio was supposed to be waiting for him…the man hadn't been there. Maybe that spoke for itself. Yet what did it say? Perhaps it was Arthur's natural density but he still couldn't figure out…

At last the tall, modern building came into view. The streets were practically empty due to the late hour and with a little bit of luck on Arthur's side so he had no problems in reaching the place without any unwanted delay or attention. Arthur let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. It was a relief to get a distraction from his current thoughts. If he didn't the headache that was already creeping in would have most definitely turned into a terrible migraine.

Arthur was inside the building and could already see the door to his flat when…

"Hey there laddy..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok sorry to those who expected Antonio (or Gilbert) to burst into the room on a white horse and save Arthur but I have 'slightly' other plans. xDD Buut I may write an alternative ending with that idea xDDD lol**

**Translations:  
><strong>

**Halt die Klappe und - Shut up and  
><strong>

**Verdammt - Damn it  
><strong>

**Dummkopf - idiot, fool, imbecile (whichever you like best xDD)  
><strong>

**So, about three more chapters to go (excluding the alternative endings and extras xDD) and…I'll be starting work on the sequel ^w^ oh btw…I think I got an idea for a third part…but I'm not sure yet. After all I have other stories to finish, ideas for about six stories more and a story that I've already written the first chapter to aaaand…yeah…I think u got the idea xDDD Too much imagination vs too little time. *le sigh***

**PLS review! Don't hesitate to tell me if there are ANY mistakes in this :DDD (and point them out of course) I'm eager to improve ^^**

**Miri-chan out~**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Now, before you tell me I was late with this one too, I made it extra long so I'm excused…I hope…sort of…whatever. TT3TT**

**DON'T SKIP! Important:**

**Just so you don't get confused: the italics in the beginning and the end are what is currently happening and the other is a flashback. Also there is a flashback in the flashback and I'm probably not using the correct tense but it's rlly hard and weird to write in the Past Perfect so I'll just try to make it clearer. Also if you haven't figured it out yet: I write thoughts like this: '…' and speech like that: "…." If you have any questions about this confusing chapter pls ask ^^ I don't bite.**

**Disclaimer: Hetalia does not belong to me in any way. (geez that sounds so serious xD)**

* * *

><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter 14:_

_Heathrow was buzzing with life as it was fit for the world's third busiest airport. Rivers of people – families, tourists, security guards, were messily flowing both ways through the broad yet not broad enough terminals. The air was filled with people's voices, some laughing, other crying but all mixing together in a loud cacophony, occasionally interrupted by the monotonous mechanical voice from the loudspeakers or the engines of an arriving or departing plane. Even this messy little society was moving in a certain order, everyone maintaining a certain speed, rarely breached by an excited arrival or late passenger. However this blond young man was neither excited nor late. Or at least he hoped he wasn't the latter. He was carrying a union jack duffel bag, quite small to carry a traveler's luggage. He was skillfully maneuvering among the crowd, without bumping into anyone at all yet still getting annoyed looks from people he passed. If they knew the situation he was in, they would understand but there was no way they could know – Arthur Kirkland prided himself on his secrecy after all. _

_The Brit groaned in bubbling annoyance. All he could see was an endless mass of humans which created the opportunity for the one individual the he was looking for, to easily merge with the crowd and slip away if he hadn't already done that. Even though Arthur could still rely on his observation abilities, the number and variety of colors and faces was beginning to overload the blond's senses and he was on the verge of giving up. _

'_That bastard! Bastard, bastard, bastard, BASTARD!' Now, don't get him wrong, even the most decent gentlemen can lose their cool when faced with such a complicated situation. Not to mention Arthur wasn't among the most decent of them. 'How could he! That ungrateful twat! When I find him, bloody hell, I'll strangle him, I swear!' So many weird things had happened to him in the past few hours that Arthur could feel his sanity slowly slipping away…_

* * *

><p>"Hey there laddy. "<p>

A tall, elegant figure in a long dark grey trench coat stood leaning against the wall in the shadows just next to Arthur's apartment door. Even in the darkness, however, the man's flamboyant fiery red hair was quite conspicuous. It was a predominant feature of his, along with his acid green eyes, not much different than Arthur's.

"Scott?" Arthur's own emeralds widened. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"Well, Ah hae th' reit tae visit mah wee brother, don't Ah?" The red head grinned, a half-finished cigarette sticking from between his pearly white teeth.

"H-how do you know where I live?" The blond asked even more panicked.

"Ah jist do." The Scotsman shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh, great. So now you're a stalker." Arthur snapped his voice laced with irony.

"No, aam nae!" Scott pouted and noted his brother's unusually bold behavior in his presence. "Ah jist followed ye once."

"That makes you a stalker you dolt!" Arthur rolled his eyes and eyed his brother from head to toe as if not believing that the man was real. The Brit shook his head to stop and shoo away the questions that flooded his mind. "I really don't have time for this!"

In any other situation the Englishman would have been terrified just by sight of his oldest brother but right now he really didn't have time to fret. The urgency of the situation dulled all his cautiousness and instead of being alert around the man, he took no notice of him and just picked the key from underneath the welcome mat and frantically, as he was in a hurry, began his messy attempts at shoving it into the keyhole. Scott watched every move with obvious amusement.

"Well wee brother ye seem quite brave today." Scott slowly took his cigarette from his mouth and let out a puff of swirling white smoke. His thin lips had curved into a smirk. "Whit happened tae th' Artie Ah mit in th' library, eh?"

Arthur visibly stiffened. He retracted his hand from the already unlocked door and looked at his brother with an unreadable expression. The blond was suddenly aware of how dangerous the man standing a few feet away could be. No, it was a mistake to drop his guard like that. Scott was definitely not here just to say hi. The two males stared at each other for a few moments.

"You wouldn't do anything here." Arthur broke the silence but kept his gaze in place. His voice was icy and calm yet somehow questioning at the same time.

"Or would Ah?" Scott removed his back from the wall and faced the smaller blond. "That Spaniard isnae here tae protect ye, is he?"

The Scotsman barely missed how his brother winced at the mention of Antonio. Arthur turned his head down, the action causing choppy blond locks to hide his eyes. After a while the Englishman sighed and raised his head so that his tired eyes were looking straight into the Scotsman's ones.

"Listen, Scott. Just…leave me alone this time, okay? I really don't have time for this now." He sounded strained and weary, almost pleading. Scott wasn't smirking anymore and instead eyeing his brother with a reflective expression. He knew something had gone wrong. He had that feeling long before he came.

Without waiting for an answer Arthur disappeared into his apartment in the same hurry as before.

Scott crossed his arms and leaned back on the wall which left him in the same position as before. He huffed quietly to express his annoyance from being ignored like that. The red head could hear his brother rummaging around inside the apartment.

* * *

><p>Arthur wasn't really picky in what he threw in his bag. It helped that he didn't have many things. Plus most of his stuff had been loaded in the van before the mission began. He decided he could afford to waste a few seconds to switch the sweat stained cardigan with a thin maroon hoodie, which he didn't even bother to zip up. Arthur threw the union jack printed duffel bag over his shoulder and shot out of the apartment only to be stopped again by a familiar voice.<p>

"Wait, Arthur!" The blond did as he was told and froze in his tracks. 'Oh shit.' He thought. Scott was still there. Seemed like he wouldn't be let off as easily as last time seeing that the older man had no intention of leaving yet. Arthur slowly turned around to discover that Scott was dead serious without any trace of a smirk or leer on his face. The Englishman remained unwavering on the outside. On the inside his heart was going full speed.

"Ah hae one mair thin' tae say."

'Oh, lovely! So he wants to talk before beating me to a pulp. How nice of him.' Arthur thought bitterly and scowled at the other. His confidence was evaporating more and more by the second under that firm gaze of his brother.

"That friend ay yoors, Antonio was it?...He's a guid lad. Ye can trust im."

Arthur's reaction was natural: he was perplexed. He tried looking for anything that would hint that the man was lying yet was amazed to find nothing but honesty in those acid green eyes, an expression devoid of a smirk or ill feelings. Seeing his brother like that was new for Arthur. It even scared him a bit. But he decided not to question it since he knew he wouldn't get an answer. The blond nodded and disappeared down the hallway.

* * *

><p>Scott followed the small figure until it hid behind the turning, leaving him alone with his thoughts. With a sigh he pulled out another cigarette and soon a single orange light flickered in the darkness. Scott had always wondered why he smoked in the first place. At first he'd thought that it calmed his nerves and helped him forget his problems. He'd thought they twirled and dissipated like the blessed warm smoke that escaped his lips every so often. He was wrong. And he had realized that long ago. However it had already turned into a habit and he was more than loath to get rid of it. It was a pain to do so anyways. Some people told him he looked sexier while smoking and that it suited him. 'I guess it suits a man like me to slowly kill himself.' He always thought.<p>

The truth is the first time he took a cigarette it was because he wanted to be like his father. He wanted to be a man. His parents always had expectations for him. Scott had to grow up early. After all he was the oldest and thus the most probable heir to the family business. The following Kirklands were also raised to meet high requirements but Scott was always a few steps ahead of his age. And that was probably because he wasn't compelled to be that way. In time he had developed ambitions of his own and was willingly aiming for the top. Surprisingly that didn't cause any competitive complexes in the boy and didn't turn into an obstacle for his social life. He was smart, good at sports, witty, handsome and sociable. So why…

"_He's not the best choice for the position. Arthur is more suited…"_

Even now those words echoed in his mind.

"_**He's not the best choice for the position…"**_

He'd been only 12 when he heard those words. Arthur had been 6. That fateful night when he'd dared to eavesdrop on his parents something had changed in the young Scotsman.

"_**Arthur is more suited…"**_

* * *

><p>He couldn't bear to hear more. He quickly sneaked away from the open door that illuminated a large part of the hallway and dived into the darkness. His thoughts were a mess. It was as dark in his heart as it was where he was now. Why, why, WHY?! He'd done EVERYTHING he could, he'd tried so hard! Sure he'd failed a few times but in the end they always told him he'd done excellently. Were they lying? He deserved to be told the truth in the face!<p>

Just then he reached an open door and paused to look inside. It was dark in the room but trough the large window on the high wall, moonlight flooded the place making it brighter than the hallway and possible for the darkness used eyes of the child to see what was inside. A king-sized bed with heavy drapery took most of the space and a single tiny frail figure could be distinguished in it, being so small compared to the bed that it almost got lost among the sheets wrapping it's curled up frame. A mop of blond hair was all that poked out of the covers and all that could be seen from the door. The bundle rose and fell rhythmically indicating that the boy was asleep and unaware of his brother's presence.

Slowly a frown made its way onto Scott's face. How exactly was the six year old better than him? The young red head entered the room and rounded the bed so he could see the blond's closed eyelids and part of his nose. He had to admit the boy was cute but still they all were when they were younger. Actually at twelve years of age Scott could already be called handsome. So what was it that made the boy special? He didn't really know much about his brother since Arthur was a bit shy around him and the twins, and even Dylan who was only three years older. The red haired boy frowned again as a thought hit him.

"Hmph, stupid kid always acts so coy around the adults." Yeah. That must be it. Scott gripped the bed sheets in building anger. The sleeping child didn't stir and it just made the older want to punch his brother. But he had enough dignity as to not fall as low as to hit a defenseless sleeping six year old just because the boy was _**more suited **_than him.

The red head left the room as silently as he came. Somewhere back in his mind he knew he had only himself to blame, his little brother was innocent…However Scott's anger and resentment could not be suppressed. His youthful, pride filled heart was raging. No. He wasn't going to blame himself…That night Scott decided he hated his youngest brother.

The blond realized what his sibling thought of him the next morning when all his brothers didn't bother to hide their hostility. Yes. _All of them_. It was only natural for Dylan and the twins to take Scott's side. The brothers were quite close and to them the much younger and quite shy Arthur was just a newcomer. Arthur's life became hellish. As hellish as an isolated, abused, uncared for, six year old's life can be.

Scott took another long drag on his cigarette and let the memories flow on.

In truth Scott was never able to bring himself to hate his little brother entirely. The abuse and insulting continued but in time, despite not losing his hostile façade, and resentment for that matter, he began doing it mostly in order to make his little brother stronger. Seriously, the boy was so weak! He wouldn't survive a day outside. That was proved soon enough when Scott noticed how naive Arthur was and let himself be used by people. The Kirklands were far from unpopular and the moment the children in Arthur's class learned who he was (he was foolish enough to tell them) they began pretending to be his friends. Scott realized that when he heard two boys talking about how they were friends with the rich boy because their dads were Mr Kirkland's employees.

Scott became angry. Really angry. This is the time to mention that when Scott got angry, stuff got serious. The red head was of an explosive nature and if we add his overprotective big brother character there was sure to be violence. He and his brothers who were equally annoyed by the situation hunted down and beat up all the bootlicking fakers who were bound to break their little brother's heart one day. They never revealed their motives, though, so from Arthur's point of view it looked like those terrible brutes that he was unfortunate enough to have as brothers were chasing all his friends away. Soon nobody dared approach Arthur because they were afraid.

Scott watched everything from aside. Arthur was suffering now but Scott knew it was for the best. Somehow this way he satisfied his inner anger at the blond and accomplished his duty as a big brother. He knew that Arthur hated him no less and probably even more than he hated Arthur. But he could cope with that. He was ready to pay the price of being a terrible abusing sibling as long as Arthur was safe from other people and grew up strong. Their company wasn't going to sink just because it had a half-hearted naïve boss.

Then, when a few years later Arthur suddenly disappeared before his graduation, Scott was shocked to find that he had mixed feelings. Sure, everyone was happy that way: He got his position and Arthur was free. The young Englishman didn't really want to be heir anyways. But he could have at least called once to tell his family that he was alive. Though, he did have all the right and reasons not to. The red head tried to convince himself that he'd made his brother strong enough yet couldn't stop himself from secretly arranging a small search for the blond. When that proved to be useless he had to live with the belief that his annoying little brother was safe and hopefully wouldn't come back and ruin that mutual wordless agreement that they'd come to in life. Scott got his company and Arthur got his freedom.

However fate could never be planned and so the two once again crossed paths in the library. During their meeting Scott had stuck with his role as the bad big brother and was glad to see that Arthur still acknowledged him superior. He just hoped the brat didn't act that way with everyone else…And then there was Antonio. The one who stood his ground…for Arthur. The one who didn't run away even after he tried to scare him. That was the one. The person his little brother needed. The only one who passed the test so far. Antonio was loyal and that was enough for Scott to be at ease. There was no point in dealing with Arthur further. The kid wasn't here to pose a threat to his position.

…And why was he here now? Heck, even he didn't know. Maybe it was the feeling that something had gone wrong. Or maybe because he had so many questions…'Where were you?', 'Are you all right?', 'What have you been doing?', 'We were so worried…' Yet when the time to speak came his pride stopped him from saying any of that.

"_He's not the best choice for the position. Arthur is more suited…"_

Scott frowned and dropped the still smoldering cigarette end, squashing it with the heel of his shoe to extinguish the flame. There was no doubt he hated Arthur. And there was no doubt he felt the need to protect the blond…There was no doubt Scott was confused about his feelings. In the end he accepted the latter as some kind of brotherly duty. He was annoyed with his youngest brother. But in the same time he would do anything for him. A wry smile twisted the Scotsman's lips. No point in pondering over it. He wouldn't figure it out anyways. Scott retreated in the shadows leaving only the lucent cigarette end as a proof of him being there.

The flame had flickered to life, glimmering like a jewel in the darkness. In some way that light was like Scott's care for his youngest brother – no matter how many times he tried to trample it, it still lived on. However it could never break through the veil of thick darkness that was Scott's hate…

* * *

><p><em>Currently Arthur was torn between two possibilities. Gilbert was telling him he should doubt Antonio, and Scott was telling him the opposite. He really wanted to trust his brother on this one and he felt he could but the fact that Gilbert's doubts would explain everything was…well…a fact. So, his partner and friend, or his worst enemy since childhood? God, why was this so one-sided…Basically the only thing in Antonio's favor was the Englishman's reluctance to believe the most likely. And that wasn't enough to save the Spaniard from Arthur's rage.<em>

_'That slippery wretch! How dare he trick me! Bastard! Ungrateful bastard!'_

_When the Brit had finally put two and two together he'd realized that all Antonio had to do was spill some info to Francis so that Arthur would be caught and out of the way and then the bastard would have all the time he needed to flee with the money they had collected, which was more than plenty for one person. If that was really the case all Arthur could do was hope that he would catch the brunet before he left the country and that's what brought the Brit to Heathrow airport._

_The crowd of people slowly began to thin due to the space becoming broader. The Englishman had finally reached the waiting hall._

_'Bastard, bastard, bastard, bastard…' Arthur continued chanting in his mind until he spotted something familiar amongst the heads of scurrying people. All words died at the reasonless sight._

_"Bloody hell…"_

_Now Arthur was truly at a loss._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok time for some extra info:**

**Currently:**

**Arthur – 21**

**Antonio – 22**

**Dylan (Wales) – 24**

**Connor (Northern Ireland), Sam (Ireland) – 26**

**Scott (Scotland) – 27**

**Oh btw I found a translator for English to Scottish and I finally managed to write some decent Scottish accent but I changed some of the words to normal English as to not to confuse you guys. Here are the translations:**

**We****l****l, Ah hae th' reit tae visit mah wee br****o****ther, don****'****t Ah****? – Well, I have the right to visit my little brother, don't I?**

**Ah jist do. – I just do.**

**No, aam nae! – No, I'm not!**

**Whit happened tae th' Artie Ah mit in th' library, eh? – What happened to the Artie I met in the library, huh?**

**That Spaniard isnae here tae protect ye, is he? – That Spaniard isn't here to protect you, is he? (Well that was obvious -.-)**

**Ah hae ****one**** mair ****t****hin' tae say.**** – I have one more thing to say. **

**That friend ay yoors, Antonio was it?...He's a guid lad. Ye can trust im. – That friend of yours, Antonio was it?...He's a good lad. You can trust him.**

**Please review, cookies and hugs (as usually) for those who already have!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: IMPORTANT! THIS IS THE EDITED VERSION OF CH15! For those of you who have already read this chapter, please read again. I've rewritten it thoroughly because I was very unhappy of how it was before.**

**I havn't posted in ages, I know, but I won't waste space in writing excuses (some of you may have noticed the warning on my profile that all stories will be on-hold for a while.) What I'm going to say, though, is that it's not easy for me over here. I have only one school year to learn German at B1 level so it's pretty tough. Not to mention my life is worthy of a drama series these days =_=…it's long story…I'll whine about that some other time.**

**Disclaimer: Hetalia is not mine. (I've given up in my pathetic attempts at making this note more amusing =_=…so be happy people…)**

* * *

><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter 15:_

Eyes wide, mouth slightly agape in the middle of forgotten words, Arthur just stood there, whole being still. His brain was telling him that it was wrong, unreal, _not supposed to be_. He should know better right? He shouldn't trust, he shouldn't hope. Those feelings only led to betrayal and heartbreak. This couldn't be happening, no, not to him, not like this. So why was _he_ there? Why was he smiling so happily? He couldn't have been waiting for Arthur…What was Antonio thinking for god's sake?!

"Hola mi amigo! What took you so long? I was getting worried you wouldn't come." A genuine laugh escaped the Spaniard's lips. It was real… This was all real! A smile tugged the corners of the blond's mouth. He'd done it. He'd finally done it. There was finally someone who was willing to stay by his side! He hadn't felt that fuzzy warmness since he and Alfred were together (as friend, mind you). 'Wow' the Brit thought. 'That's a long time. I must really be a cold person…'

"Antonio…you bastard…you scared the shit out of me, you know that." Yep. That he was.

Arthur shortened the distance between them and nudged his partner lightly. Somewhere deep inside the blond felt a pang of guilt when seeing the honesty in Antonio's eyes and smile. 'So brother was right after all…Gilbert will never hear the end of it…wait. When did I start calling Scott brother? Something's definitely wrong with me today…'

"I'm glad you're here." Arthur said without thinking. Even he could allow himself a moment of honesty. And it made Antonio no less happy.

"I'm glad you're safe." The brunet replied and in the next moment they lifted their hands and connected them in a gesture of complete trust. They shared a moment of silence in which vivid olive green clashed with brilliant forest green in a wordless agreement of a unique partnership, untempted by riches and unbroken by time...But let's not get too lost in poetical moments.

"Well, I guess this time we'll have to deal with getting nothing. So much for the hopes and preparations..." Antonio broke the silence when he finally found fit.

"Hah. Who told you we're leaving with nothing." Arthur smirked, receiving a questioning look from Antonio. "I decided it would be a shame to leave the frog's house without a little souvenir." The blond rummaged around his clothes until he fished something shiny from his hoodie. "I snatched it off the French bastard's wrist in a moment of confusion. It's not much but I'm guessing it would at least cover the plane tickets' cost once we sell it. The French bastard probably won't miss it seeing as he's swimming in money."

Antonio's eyes were glued to the object currently hanging from Arthur's long skilled fingers. The blond tried to seem nonchalant about it but he was obviously proud of his acquisition. The said object was actually an ornate expensive-looking watch. An undoubtedly beautiful watch at that. Complicated designs (most likely hand carved) swirled around the bracelet, which was generously embellished with diamonds (hopefully real ones) and beautiful back and front dials, also diamond decorated. After gawking at the posh little thing for about half a minute Antonio blinked twice and shook his head with a smile.

"You just can't accept defeat, can you?" The Spaniard playfully teased his friend.

"Excuse me but there is no such word in my dictionary."

They then engaged in a casual conversation as if they hadn't just professionally robbed a dirty rich Frenchman and gotten away with it…Oh well. It was all in a day's work for them after all…

After buying tickets the two found out that they had plenty of time before their flight and decided to use it to grab a small bite and make a trip to the nearby jewelry store in order to find out just how much exactly had Arthur's visit to Francis' gained them. And let's just say that despite the odds the little watch turned out to be more than it seemed…

Pure 24-karat gold bracelet, covered with countless authentic diamonds and elaborate designs (which indeed turned out to be hand carved), back and front dial, both silver and also with diamonds, and even some platinum parts, just for luxury and to add to the price. Not to mention that it was a vintage antique…Gold, diamonds, silver, platinum…That day the jeweler nearly had a heart attack.

Arthur and Antonio had thanked the poor man calmly and left the jewelry store also calmly. They had walked to the airport calmly and made their way to the toilets – calmly. They (calmly) made sure they were alone and the door was locked and that's when all those emotions couldn't be held in anymore and simply burst out – hugging, yelling, almost crying because they were just _such lucky bastards_.

"I can't believe we're so dirty rich!" Antonio yelled, still clutching Arthur's slimmer frame tightly.

"And I can't believe I'm hugging you like this!"

"Who knew that bastard had a thing for watches!"

So why was all the racket for? Well, let's say…around 12 million dollars…the estimated approximate price of the watch…more than they ever intended to steal from Francis…

12 million. 12 freaking million dollars!? When adding that to what they already had it formed a sum that could easily ensure the two males long wealthy lives. The feeling of being intoxicated with joy was almost maddening. Just what god decided to smile upon them that day?! Right when they had finally settled with the thought of defeat. The impact was just mind-blowing! And to think that Arthur had a 12 million dollar watch in his pocket! There was no doubt it was pure luck. But they deserved it nevertheless. And Francis was just too generous with his stupidity (seriously who would wear such a thing on an occasion like that!). What a souvenir indeed. Arthur should be proud of his pick pocketing skills.

After rejoicing a bit more with that gigantic sum still echoing in their minds (by yelling and hugging like maniacs), the partners finally settled down and were sitting on the sink counters, with their backs leaning on the mirrors behind and eyes sparkling from all the images of a future both of them looked forward to. The only noise in the room came from their heavy breathing. The silence lingered until Arthur decided to speak. His deep tenor pulled Antonio out of his daydream.

"Well, who knew life could change from worst to best so quickly."

"Worst? What do you mean worst?" Antonio asked curiously.

"Well it wasn't really worst, I mean you not being a traitor and all was quite a relief." Arthur crossed his arms and leaned back fully, letting the coldness of the glass on his back calm him and rid him of some unpleasant images that flooded his mind at the memory of that cursed mansion.

"Ah, right. You don't really know what happened there, do you?" He sighed heavily in preparation for a not really enjoyable conversation. He still had to tell Antonio (and possibly apologize) about his failure.

"Hmmm...where to start…I don't really want to go into detail." Arthur began a bit reluctantly. "To cut things short, Francis knew about our plan, probably from the beginning. I don't know why, I don't know how and I really don't even want to remember what I thought at that time. I'm ashamed of that. Now that I think things through, I'm probably the one to blame... A good spy could have done the job easily. But I was careless. That's another thing I'm ashamed of. I only saw the money when I could have seen all those signs! You…you warned me to be careful and I did the contrary. Instead of just listening, I put both of us in danger. And at some point I almost blamed you for it. I-…I'm so sorry Antonio…"

Arthur couldn't muster the courage to look his partner in the eyes so he didn't see when a warm smile made its way onto Antonio's lips. For the Spaniard seeing his British friend being so open was a real rarity. Not to mention that was the second rarity that day! He could see Arthur was being honest and that it had taken him a lot of effort to say that. So he decided not to torture the Englishman anymore. Seeing his friend in such remorse made his heart ache. Plus it wasn't entirely Arthur's fault but the stubborn Brit wouldn't want to hear any of that 'pitying'.

"How did you escape then?" Antonio asked in an attempt to change the topic.

"Heh. To tell you the truth for a moment there I thought I was a gonner" Arthur obviously perked up, relieved that he didn't have to talk about stuff being his fault and other pride-killing things like that. "And when he pinned me to his couch with some gruesome threats I started wishing I was already a gonner!" The Brit let out a humorless laugh and shuddered at the memory. "But then, who knows, maybe it was God, maybe it was Satan, but I got lucky." Unbeknownst to Arthur a knowing smile crept onto the Spaniard's lips.

"And by lucky you mean?"

"You wouldn't believe it but there was a blackout!" The volume of Arthur's voice raised with excitement. Antonio chuckled at how childish his friend looked.

"It gave me the opportunity to shake the frog off and push him to the ground. I snatched the watch off when he grabbed me by the wrist and I had to pry his hand away. Unfortunately the bastard was thoughtful enough to lock the door and I had no option but to jump through a bloody closed window. Can you believe that?! I thank the bloody lord it was only the second floor, otherwise I'd still be plucking shards out of my back. And even so these buggers are a bloody nuisance to heal!" Arthur pointed to the scratches that covered his forearms since he'd used his arms as a shield to protect his face.

"That sure was one lucky coincidence back then. I think I own my life to whatever caused it." Arthur concluded his fevered speech. Antonio on the other hand couldn't hold himself any longer and burst into laughter which earned him a very annoyed glare from his partner.

"Oh come on Artie. Do you really think that blackout was just a 'lucky coincidence'?" He managed to ask through breathless giggles.

Arthur's frown deepened and he raised one brow in question.

"And what exactly are you trying to imply with that? I nearly lost my life back then and you're laughing your ass off like you've been there know that!"

It was Antonio's turn to raise a brow. "Seriously, Arthur? You still don't get it? For someone who claims to be so smart you're quite dense." There. He finally said it.

The Brit glared at the Spaniard for a few more minutes but his face showed he was deep in thought. And just when Antonio opened his mouth to speak again, the Brit seemed to put the pieces together. You could tell by the way his eyes went wide like saucers.

"Don't tell me…it couldn't have been…I-it was…You!"

"Si." Antonio grinned. "You see I couldn't help but worry that something might go wrong so I followed you to the mansion. While Gilbert was busy with the guards, I slipped by and hid in a tree -right next to the window of the room you and Francis were in. From my spot I could see everything and good thing I did. The moment he wiped your lips, I knew I had to act. So I got down and found the electrical panel of the house. From there, even without my skills with technology, it was easy to shut down the power. I waited long enough to see you jump from the window and make sure you escape and decided to go after you. However I spotted one of the guards following me and instead of leading him to you or our meeting spot, I went in the opposite direction and managed to lose him in the dark alleyways. After that I headed straight for the airport in hopes you'll be there and so here I am! Funny story huh?"

By the end of it Arthur was gaping like an idiot. And maybe he was an idiot for doubting Antonio even for a second. Processing what his partner had told him, which was basically 'I saved your ass', the Brit couldn't help but smile. Now that everything was clear there was only one thing left to say.

"Thank you Antonio…"

"For you - always, mi amigo."

Their plane was leaving soon and they were already standing in the line of people waiting to get on the plane, which was apparently a few minutes behind schedule because of some minor technical problems. Despite all the chattering around them Arthur and Antonio stood in comfortable silence next to each other, both simply wanting to take a break from the tiring day.

And it was in those moments of silence that Arthur asked himself: was he happy to leave home? Was it even his home anymore? What was England to him? Of course his English blood ran deep. In fact he was almost the perfect stereotype for English people: The only drink he acknowledged was tea and he drank it almost constantly, he had a pale complexion and a few barely visible freckles around his nose, was punctual, reserved, painfully sarcastic and blunt, loved gardening (although others didn't need to know that) and even throughout his many years around the world, his accent was as strong as always and he was happy to find that most females thought that to be attractive. Oh and mind you, his teeth were bloody perfect…and that wasn't sarcasm. Anyhow…

The blond looked back at all the memories he had from England: an unhappy childhood, careless parents, abusive brothers…but then there were his adolescent years which involved a carefree life filled with parties, girls, nightclubs, and also Alfred and Antonio…but this time there was also Francis…In the end Arthur couldn't decide whether the bad or the good things were more.

One last glance was cast around the airport and through the windows to the outside where rain was already starting to drizzle gently and people walked around with black umbrellas. Arthur engraved those images in his brain as if wanting them to be first thing that crossed his mind when he thought of England. And then he decided. England was nothing more than his birthplace and he was fond of it in a way but still found no grief in leaving it. He was fine with that conception.

Turning back to the unmoving line of people in front of him, the Brit let out a weary sigh and ran a hand through his messy hair, an action once done in order to fix his unruly mop and through time labeled as useless and turned into an unwitting habit. So much had happened that day…Considering what was ahead of him, maybe he could finally relax a bit? A long flight with a cup of unfortunately-not-so-good-but-still-fine-airplane tea and no Francis, no robberies and most importantly no older brothers... Yeah, no more weird things today…right?

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><p><strong>AN: To those of you who think my Author Notes are boring and wasting time…well, I don't really care. I need to spill my soul out and you're gonna be my victims whether you like it or not…if you don't I suggest simply NOT READING THE DAMN NOTES xDDD **

**Thank you for wasting your precious time to read, fav, alert and review ^w^ hugs for ya all (and cookies). Oh and sorry for not replying to your reviews :/ I've never thought it was necessary but I want you to know I LOVE YOU SO DAMN MUCH even though I don't reply. Tehe~**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I do not own Hetalia or it's characters.**

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><p><strong>The Big Hit<strong>

_Chapter 15:_

"_Attention. All passengers of flight __BA0275__ London - Las Vegas please head to Terminal 5. The doors will be opened shortly. I repeat: All passengers of flight __BA0275__ London - Las Vegas please head to Terminal 5. Thank you."_

"Well, that's our flight." Antonio commented nonchalantly, his eyes fixing on the metal door that was soon to open and lead them to their plane. Arthur said nothing, only letting out a quiet sigh hinted with a bit of anxiety. And it wasn't because he was scared of planes, he was much too used to that. It was just that some sort of guilt was catching up to him. He didn't know why exactly (the possibilities were quite a lot, really) but he had the feeling that it would disappear as soon as his foot left the soil of London. 'Just let this torture end already…' Unlike his friend, the Brit took a sudden interest in the crowd around them. As if not looking at the door was delaying its opening.

"_Attention. Flight __4U2460__ Stuttgart – London has just landed at Terminal 5. I repeat: Flight __4U2460__ Stuttgart – London has just landed at Terminal 5. Thank you."_

Arthur paid no attention to the message. He deemed that unnecessary. Not long after it they began slowly moving forward. The doors had been opened. Arthur concentrated on not losing Antonio in the crowd and staying close to him. He was so lost in doing that that he didn't notice a man nearing him and reaching for his arm. He turned around only when he felt the urgent tug at his sleeve and someone hesitantly calling his name.

"Arthur?"

Arthur came to an abrupt halt and Antonio, needing some time to realize his friend was no longer by his side, stopped a few steps away. The Brit found himself looking at yet another ghost from the past, two sea green eyes, with a tint of Arthur's own emerald shade in them, responded to his stare with as much confusion.

"Arthur, is that really you?" The 'stranger' asked in a fevered voice. Arthur had no doubt whom he was speaking with. That curly light brown hair, messy like Arthur's, greenish eyes, thicker eyebrows and soft features belonged to none other than…

"Dylan…"

…Dylan Kirkland. The second older Kirkland sibling and the one whom Arthur considered the least cruel of his brothers. Arthur didn't know how to react. Should he be happy to see his brother? _This _brother in particular? Or should he just grab Antonio and catch his flight? But there was something stopping him from doing the latter – a spark of concern (or was it gladness) that glimmered somewhere in the back of Dylan's eyes and his hesitant actions that probably meant that he was just as clueless about what to do. However suddenly the older seemed to make up his mind and for a moment Arthur thought about running when he saw his brother getting closer. But he crossed that option as soon as he felt two arms wrap securely around him in a loving embrace. The blond was speechless and his shock escalated when he heard the words Dylan whispered into his shoulder.

"Thank god you're okay!"

The brunet pulled back, leaving his hands on his brother's shoulders, which let Arthur see another shocking thing. _'Tears?!'_ Dylan had tears in his eyes?! Was it possible that one of his siblings was worried about him to the point that they would cry?

At this point Dylan was smiling softly and surveying Arthur from head to toe, noting how mature his little brother had come to look. A few seconds passed before he spoke again.

"Look at you, all grown up. I can't believe how many years it's been! Where the hell have you been?" Arthur just stood quietly as the older bombarded him with questions. The last thing Dylan said, though, caught his attention. "We were so worried!"

"Really? You actually worried about me?" Arthur finally blurted a bit stupidly. Dylan blinked a few times before comprehending what the other had said.

"Of course we did! How could we not? You just disappeared from the face of the Earth!"

A small smile crossed Arthur's face. His family…worrying about him…it made him feel…good in a way. Just being remembered was amazing enough. But then a thought crossed his mind.

"If you were, why didn't you just call the police then?"

"We did." Well that was new… "And they traced you down to a couple of places. At first we only knew that someone was using your credit card but then the police got their hands on some security camera footage. When they asked whether we wanted to contact you, mum and dad decided to let you be. They thought you preferred it that way, since you left yourself and all that…We haven't heard anything from you since then, and that was two years ago!"

Arthur's heart clenched a bit. It was cruel of him to just leave people in the dark like that, especially if they were family…even if it was his family.

"Sorry." Arthur looked down and let himself smile just a tiny bit. "I seemed to have caused you trouble…"

"Forget that." Dylan shook his head. "Now tell me, how have you been? What exactly have you been doing these two years?"

"Oh, I've been well as you can see. Can't tell you much about what I've been doing though."

"It's all right. I won't pry. As long as it's safe and not illegal." Arthur smirked to himself.

"Thanks, I appreciate that. But what about you guys? How've you been?"

"Oh, we're all okay. Mom and dad are the same as always. Scott and the twins have matured too, believe it or not." Arthur tried not to cringe at the mention of his other siblings. "I can't tell you details, though. I'm just coming home myself."

"What do you mean by that?" Arthur asked with genuine interest and surprise.

"I live in Germany now. I have for the past year and a half in fact."

"Oh…I guess things have changed since I left…" Arthur suddenly had same felling of guilt again. Guilt for simply not being there…True, he'd sometimes thought about his family but he'd always shrugged it off.

"Yeah…But now that you and I are here," Dylan quickly changed the subject. "maybe we can all get together and catch up on the lost time! Did you see the others? I kind of doubt you came back to visit."

"No, not really." Arthur sighed. Now he felt guilty for what he was going to say to his brother. Dylan looked so enthusiastic about Arthur's vist. "I-I'm sorry Dylan. But I'm actually leaving. My flight is taking off soon and...I don't know whether I'll be coming again anytime soon."

As expected Dylan looked disappointed, but not surprised by the answer.

"I see…" He smiled sadly. "I have no right to stop you then. You don't really have a reason to stay…" Arthur opened his mouth to object but found that what Dylan said was painfully true. Well actually, after having this conversation with his brother he was a bit more convinced that there was a reason but it was not enough for him to ditch everything here and go to his family. Besides they probably wouldn't be as happy as Dylan to see him.

"So…does Scott or the twins even know you're here?"

"Oh, Scott does." Arthur huffed in irritation. "I met the bastard. Some things might have changed but he's definitely the same. Just one more reason for me not to come back." The blond crossed his arms and looked away, feeling angry. Dylan on the other hand grew serious all of a sudden.

"Arthur…" He began slowly. "I know Scott wasn't the best brother in the past…I wasn't either, far from that in fact, and I'm really sorry…However you must understand that he has a hard time expressing himself."

"Oh so he has to 'express himself' by beating me up instead?" Arthur spat ironically.

"He was wrong by doing that, I know but he was doing it for your own good!" Arthur looked at Dylan as if the man had gone mad. "You wouldn't understand, at least not now. But just know that Scott loves you. He might be too proud and stubborn to show it but he loves you a lot Artie. So do Sam and Connor. And they're just as worried as I am."

"Yeah right…" Arthur averted his eyes from Dylan's. He couldn't bear the honesty in his brother's look. Arthur just couldn't believe him. Or maybe he didn't want to… Arthur Kirkland wasn't a man of change. In fact he was terrified of it. That might sound odd considering his constant travelling around but that was in fact a way of living he _didn't want to change. _This was different. If what Dylan was saying was true, that would change a lot of things. For starters it would change Arthur's opinion of his siblings. Getting attached to them now would be a burden and the Brit knew it. However all odds were against him. His last meeting with Scott and now with Dylan…He didn't know whether to describe the feeling in his stomach as happiness or anger or even the slightest irritation.

Then there was a hand on his shoulder.

"Arthur, we need to go." Antonio urged, motioning at the now empty passage to the door. The plane wasn't going to wait for them. Neither was Francis. The Brit followed his friend's gesture and understood quickly.

"All right, just give me another minute." Antonio nodded and stepped away. He was dense sometimes but he knew when to let people have their privacy.

Arthur turned back to his older sibling.

"Dylan, I need to go." He repeated Antonio's words.

"I understand…Is he a friend of yours?" Dylan questioned referring to Antonio. Much to Arthur's relief it seemed his brother wasn't going to dwell on the previous topic.

"Yeah. He's a friend. Scott can tell you about him later." A bit of sarcasm made its way into Arthur's voice.

"I see." After a moment of silence Arthur once again found himself in Dylan's embrace and this time he responded eagerly, noticing how time had made them almost equal in height. And Dylan used to be so big, at least when seen through the eyes of a young Arthur.

"Take care of yourself, don't do anything stupid." It sounded as like something Dylan would say in the past but only it sounded a lot more caring now.

"I won't, I promise." Arthur grinned.

"You always said that." The older sighed which earned him a chuckle from his sibling. Then Dylan pushed a piece of paper with a quickly scribbled address, number and E-mail, telling his brother to contact him once in a while, at least to let them know he was alive. Arthur nodded with an actual intention of doing what he was asked.

"And Arthur…" The brunet said when they parted. "Just remember that we'll always be here for you. Well, maybe not me, I'll be waiting for a visit in Germany. But I wanted you to know that…"

"I will." Arthur smiled. Another brief hug and they finally separated. They watched each other until Dylan was gone, swallowed by the crowd, and Arthur was never going to admit he went a bit teary-eyed at some point of their conversation.

Walking towards the plane, Arthur thought about how less than thirty minutes had completely changed his perspective of England. Now he finally felt like he was leaving something behind, something that he might miss later, something to remember. Right now this place was close to home. Closer than ever in fact. And so the doors closed.

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><p>The sun was blinding, its rays reflecting from every shiny surface it could reach and adding a gem like appearance to the otherwise dull day scenery, grand fountains being the most active in it. Palm trees swayed lazily, their leaves ruffled by passing expensive-looking cars. People in classy clothes and sunglasses walked around looking rich and careless, going in and out of fancy hotels, covered in lights and decorations, waiting to be lit for the night. The city was not quite racy during the day but it was understandable as Las Vegas was known for its nightlife. That was when the countless casinos awoke and billions of dollars changed their owner every minute.<p>

Somewhere in the outskirts a red Lamborghini Murciélago and a dark grey Aston Martin One-77 were parked atop a cement platform overlooking the city. Their owners were wearing clothes of a class matching the cars'. One of them, a slim blond in his early twenties was leaning on his Marin, gazing proudly at the city, while his companion's position mirrored his own. The blond took a deep breath and let the wind play with his short locks. The other, a slightly more tanned and quite attractive brunet, lit a cigarette and turned his attention on his partner, expecting him to say something, which he did.

"Marvelous isn't it? - A gold mine in the middle of the desert. Those Americans never cease to surprise me."

"Well, they've done a good job. Otherwise there wouldn't be a place for people like us."

"Hah, well said." The blond smirked.

There was a moment of silence in which he threw a long discreet calculative look at the brunet, green eyes half-hidden behind sunglasses and reflecting silent thought. Then the lighter man once more attracted his companion's attention with a sigh and let his fingers slowly unbutton the top two buttons of his shirt while taking a more alluring pose.

Seeing the display, it was the brunet's turn to let out a long breath.

"Don't even think about it Arthur. I know what you're doing and it's not going to work."

The Brit shrugged in mock disappointment, smiling slyly.

"Too bad, it appears you do. I was hoping you wouldn't be aware you're now rich enough to be a potential target." Arthur chuckled. "Well, I guess that's it then. See you around, Antonio."

With that Arthur took off his sunglasses, a beam of sunlight causing them to glimmer, and opened the door of his brand new Aston One-77. Antonio smirked at his _ex-_partner's words. Before he got into his own car the Spaniard turned to Arthur one last time.

"You know if you ever run out of money, call me – we can always make another hit."

Arthur grinned.

"Sure. But I don't see that happening anytime soon…"

The two cars went their separate ways and the sun continued its merciless flaring as it always did, no matter what it saw, as if nothing had ever happened…

_fin..._

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><p><strong>AN: FINALLY! Last chapter everyone! Congratulations! w This is my first finished story and I feel amazing! **

**Well, actually I'm not quite finished YET. I plan to make a few more extras, one of them might be an alternative ending with a bit of action all you SpUk fans out there crave xDDD And of course you can expect a sequel soon! It's title…_Viva Las Vegas _(probably) :DDD but that might take a while. When I post the first chapter (yes, it will be posted as a separate story) I'll notify you with a chapter here, don't worry ^w^ **

**So…this is the part where I tell you how FREAKING MUCH I love you people! Thank you, THANK YOU for all the support I couldn't have gone without! Thank you for the reviews (I actually got a 100!), the favs, the alerts, thank you for reading and bearing with me till the end. I LOVE YOU! So please tell me what you think, whether you liked the ending, whether you actually want an alternative with some…_action_(if you know what I mean *wiggles brows suggestively*) **

**btw I did quite a lot of research for this one. I looked up Wales' international policy in order to decide where Dylan should live, the names of the flights are real ones: same destination, same date, same Terminal! and I even tried making them at about the same time :DD you can check out the cars in google, I wanted them to match the characters :3 Once again: I don't know anything about airports, I used info on terminal 5, Heathrow from Wikipedia but I'm sorry if there are any inaccuracies *bows* **

**… and one more question…Aston Martin or Lamborghini? ;)…**


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